What Is String Theory ?

 

Introduction

We have come very far in the field of science from classical physics to modern physics. Modern physics is a branch of physics that developed in the early 20th century and onward. Notable branches of modern physics include quantum mechanics, special relativity, and general relativity.

Quantum mechanics describes the weirdness at the sub-atomic level and says that both location and energy of a particle cannot be known without an inherent degree of uncertainty. Light is the unification of electricity and magnetism, but it does not include gravity. Grand Unification has been impossible until string theory, which appears to be able to link not only the gravitational and electromagnetic forces but also the weak and strong nuclear forces.

WHAT IS A STRING?

In physics, String theory is a theoretical framework in which the point-like particles are replaced by one-dimensional objects called strings. String theory states that everything in our Universe is made up of tiny vibrating strings. Fundamental particles such as electrons, photons (a particle of light), gluons, quarks, etc are made up of these strings.

String theory describes how these strings propagate through space and interact with each other. On distance scales larger than the string scale, a string looks just like an ordinary particle, with its mass, charge, and other properties determined by the vibrational state of the string, where the strings are smaller than the Planck length, i.e., 10^-35 meters.

In string theory, one of the many vibrational states of the string corresponds to the graviton, a quantum mechanical particle that carries the gravitational force. Thus, string theory is a THEORY OF QUANTUM GRAVITY.

There were different versions of string theory depending on the type of string and whether or not supersymmetry is incorporated. Despite the specific five theories emerged each with the same concept but different mathematical models. They were different flavors of the same thing and are collectively referred to as M-Theory because there is no known way to probe distances of the Planck length.
Experimental verification of these strings remains daunting but exciting new prospects to verify supersymmetry and indirectly detect the curled-up dimensions might rewrite the universe.

Terms Used

Gluons:- A hypothetical massless subatomic particle believed to transmit the force binding quarks together in a hadron.

Quarks:- The elementary particles that make up the protons and neutrons that in turn make up the atomic nucleus.

THEORY OF QUANTUM GRAVITY:- Theory of quantum gravity seeks to describe gravity according to the principles of quantum mechanics, and where quantum effects cannot be ignored.