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"WE DON'T know what we are talking about" - Nobel Laureate David Gross |
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Last December ('05), physicists held the 23rd Solvay Conference
in Brussels, Belgium. Amongst the many topics covered in the
conference was the subject matter of string theory. This theory
combines the apparently irreconcilable domains of quantum
physics and relativity. David Gross a Nobel Laureate made
some startling statements about the state of physics including:
"We don't know what we are talking about" whilst
referring to string theory as well as The state of physics
today is like it was when we were mystified by radioactivity.
The Nobel Laureate is a heavyweight in this field having
earned a prize for work on the strong nuclear force and he
indicated that what is happening today is very similar to
what happened at the 1911 Solvay meeting. Back then, radioactivity
had recently been discovered and mass energy conservation
was under assault because of its discovery. Quantum theory
would be needed to solve these problems. Gross further commented
that in 1911 "They were missing something absolutely
fundamental," as well as "we are missing perhaps
something as profound as they were back then."
Coming from a scientist with establishment credentials this
is a damning statement about the state of current theoretical
models and most notably string theory. This theoretical model
is a means by which physicists replace the more commonly known
particles of particle physics with one dimensional objects
which are known as strings. These bizarre objects were first
detected in 1968 through the insight and work of Gabriele
Veneziano who was trying to comprehend the strong nuclear
force.
Whilst meditating on the strong nuclear force Veneziano detected
a similarity between the Euler Beta Function, named for the
famed mathematician Leonhard Euler, and the strong force.
Applying the aforementioned Beta Function to the strong force
he was able to validate a direct correlation between the two.
Interestingly enough, no one knew why Euler's Beta worked
so well in mapping the strong nuclear force data. A proposed
solution to this dilemma would follow a few years later.
Almost two years later (1970), the scientists Nambu, Nielsen
and Susskind provided a mathematical description which described
the physical phenomena of why Euler's Beta served as a graphical
outline for the strong nuclear force. By modeling the strong
nuclear forces as one dimensional strings they were able to
show why it all seemed to work so well. However, several troubling
inconsistencies were immediately seen on the horizon. The
new theory had attached to it many implications that were
in direct violation of empirical analyses. In other words,
routine experimentation did not back up the new theory.
Needless to say, physicists romantic fascination with string
theory ended almost as fast as it had begun only to be resuscitated
a few years later by another 'discovery.' The worker of the
miraculous salvation of the sweet dreams of modern physicists
was known as the graviton. This elementary particle allegedly
communicates gravitational forces throughout the universe.
The graviton is of course a 'hypothetical' particle that
appears in what are known as quantum gravity systems. Unfortunately,
the graviton has never ever been detected; it is as previously
indicated a 'mythical' particle that fills the mind of the
theorist with dreams of golden Nobel Prizes and perhaps his
or her name on the periodic table of elements.
But back to the historical record. In 1974, the scientists
Schwarz, Scherk and Yoneya reexamined strings so that the
textures or patterns of strings and their associated vibrational
properties were connected to the aforementioned 'graviton.'
As a result of these investigations was born what is now called
'bosonic string theory' which is the 'in vogue' version of
this theory. Having both open and closed strings as well as
many new important problems which gave rise to unforeseen
instabilities.
These problematical instabilities leading to many new difficulties
which render the previous thinking as confused as we were
when we started this discussion. Of course this all started
from undetectable gravitons which arise from other theories
equally untenable and inexplicable and so on. Thus was born
string theory which was hoped would provide a complete picture
of the basic fundamental principles of the universe.
Scientists had believed that once the shortcomings of particle
physics had been left behind by the adoption of the exotic
string theory, that a grand unified theory of everything would
be an easily ascertainable goal. However, what they could
not anticipate is that the theory that they hoped would produce
a theory of everything would leave them more confused and
frustrated than they were before they departed from particle
physics.
The end result of string theory is that we know less and
less and are becoming more and more confused. Of course, the
argument could be made that further investigations will yield
more relevant data whereby we will tweak the model to an eventual
perfecting of our understanding of it. Or perhaps 'We don't
know what we are talking about.'
About the Author:
Michael Strauss is an engineer who has an interest in this
subject matter. To contact the author visit: www.relativitycollapse.com
or www.relativitycollapse.net
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