String theory topoogy can change lead to experimentally testable predictions?

[ensabah6]

Witten argues one of string theories great achievements is that it shows that topology can change.

Which is fine, but is there any observational evidence (i.e from astronomy or HEP) or any experimentally testable predictions on topology changing? Is there any physical evidence for topology changing? What if topology does not change in physical reality, but string theory says topology does change, does this mean string theory is wrong?

 

[Fra]

I don't know what Witten said and I'm not into string theory, but that said I have a couple of spontaneous comments that though has nothing to do with strings.

1) That toplogoy can change, but wether it does is another story. As long as we don't know, why ban the possibility?

2) From the point of view of the scientific meothod, how does a scientist or even a general observer _inform himself_ and induce or deduce the topology in the first place? Shouldn't the topology somehow be emergent from processing the information collected from observation? In this perspective, I would expect topology to be dynamical and emergent from interactions with the environment. How did we come to the current conclusion about topology?

I don't think putting topology as background structure should be necessary. I see the topology as well as the geometry as art of the dynamical reference. But I also think that a sensible model should be able to provide a rating of the possible topologies. I think something is wrong if a space of possibilities is generated without a prior. I don't understand how that can happen because it would suggest that the option space is redundant - it contains no information, so it should collapse back to where it came from IMO.

/Fredrik

 

[Entropia]

I appreciate your curiosity and skepticism towards string theory and its claims about topology changing. First, let me clarify that string theory is a theoretical framework that attempts to unify the four fundamental forces of nature, including gravity, in a single theory. It is not a complete and proven theory, and therefore, it is still being actively researched and debated.

Now, to address your questions, Witten's argument about string theory showing that topology can change is based on mathematical and theoretical calculations. It is not based on observational evidence or experimental data. This is because our current technology and understanding of physics are not advanced enough to directly observe or test topology changing.

However, string theory does make some predictions that can potentially be tested through experiments or observations. For example, string theory predicts the existence of extra dimensions beyond the four we experience in our daily lives. Scientists are currently trying to detect and study these extra dimensions through experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and other particle accelerators.

As for your concern about the physical evidence for topology changing, it is important to remember that string theory is a highly mathematical and abstract theory. It is not meant to describe the physical reality as we experience it, but rather, to provide a theoretical framework for understanding the fundamental laws of nature. Therefore, the concept of topology changing in string theory may not have a direct physical manifestation, but it is still a valid mathematical concept within the theory.

Lastly, if topology does not change in physical reality, it does not necessarily mean that string theory is wrong. It could simply mean that we have not yet discovered the evidence or technology to observe or test topology changing. However, it is also possible that string theory may need to be modified or refined to better align with experimental data and observations. This is a common process in science, where theories are constantly being tested and refined as our understanding and technology advances.

In conclusion, while there may not be direct observational evidence or experimentally testable predictions for topology changing in string theory, it is still a valuable and promising theoretical framework for understanding the fundamental laws of nature. Continued research and experimentation are necessary to further test and refine the predictions of string theory.