Is string theory real? Study suggests evidence strengthening hypothesis

To date, there is no unified, scientifically proven theory connecting the four fundamental forces of nature; These are: gravity, electromagnetism, strong force and weak force. However, some hypotheses aim at this unification, Like string theory, it was developed to try to provide a consistent model that explains everything we observe in the universe.

Although it provides a convincing mathematical framework and is seen as the most promising for unifying these forces, there is still no scientific evidence. This is because testing string theory is still a huge challenge. In addition to the lack of experimental evidence, it suggests not a single solution for our universe, but many possibilities.

Maybe this will change soon: Scientific evidence may be closer. According to a recent study published in the journal Physical Review Letters, A new approach offers new evidence that string theory may be real.

The research was conducted by a group of scientists from New York University (NYU) and California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the United States.

Scientists developed the study to understand whether there is a mathematical question whose only answer is string theory. this question relates to the concept of bootstrappingAn approach to theoretical physics that aims to formulate models based only on fundamental principles, without relying on additional parameters.

Boot method It has already been used to verify whether the theory of relativity, interactions between particles, and other hypotheses follow mathematical structures observed in nature. However, the paper’s researchers state that this approach has not yet been applied to string theory.

“String theory is a rare working model that can consistently reconcile quantum mechanics and gravity over arbitrarily small distances. To this end, it is postulated that the fundamental building blocks of nature are vibrating strings rather than point particles. But is this assumption in any way unique or inevitable?” explains the introduction to the new study.

What is string theory?

For decades, scientists have been searching for a hypothesis that explains all physical phenomena in the universe, known as the Theory of Everything (ToE). String theory is one of the main candidates for this unification, as it offers the connection between the fundamental forces of the cosmos.. Yet its concepts have not been proven experimentally, and many of its principles even resemble elements of science fiction.

In the mid-1960s, Italian physicist Gabriele Veneziano developed a formula that described the interactions between hadrons such as protons and neutrons. Shortly afterwards, in the 1970s, physicists Leonard Susskind, Holger Bech Nielsen, and Yoichiro Nambu He interpreted this formula as evidence that subatomic particles could be described as vibrating strings rather than particles.

Following the work of the three scientists, many other researchers also made significant contributions to the formulation of string theory. The main purpose of the hypothesis is to provide a mathematical basis that can describe the fundamental forces of nature: gravity, electromagnetism, strong force and weak force..

Unlike the current explanation of the universe, which describes fundamental particles that emerged after the Big Bang, string theory suggests that these particles are actually one-dimensional strings. This suggests that the vibration mode of each string determines the specific properties of each particle.. However, since there is no experimental evidence yet, the theory is still considered speculative.

It is worth noting that the theory does not agree with the standard model of the Big Bang, trying to explain the particles that emerged after the event as strings.

“String theory in particle physics is a theory that attempts to unify quantum mechanics with Albert Einstein’s theory of general relativity. The name ‘string theory’ comes from the fact that subatomic particles are modeled as small, one-dimensional, ‘string-like’ entities, rather than the traditional approach of treating them as zero-dimensional point particles,” explains the encyclopedia Britannica.

Bootstrap and string theory

In a statement, the authors emphasized that the bootstrapping method allows scientists to conclude that under certain conditions general relativity and particle theories emerge as mathematically consistent solutions. In some contexts, they are considered the structures most compatible with the fundamental principles of physics.

To carry out the research, scientists applied certain mathematical conditions to string theory. Then, They argue that the results provide evidence that scattering amplitudes are the only mathematically consistent hypothesis.

“This paper provides the answer to this question for the first time in terms of string theory. Now that these mathematical conditions are known, it brings us one step closer to understanding whether and why string theory should describe our universe,” said Grant Remmen, a particle physics student and one of the authors .

Scientists believe that the data presented in the paper can contribute to new research into string theory. – perhaps in the future it will be consolidated as the Theory of Everything, but nothing has changed. Moreover, some researchers emphasize that the discovery may be relevant to deepening the understanding of quantum gravity.

For a long time, scientists have tried to unify the principles that govern the universe by connecting seemingly incompatible concepts. But this has happened before! Understand how one equation united quantum physics and Einstein’s general relativity for the first time. Until next time!