It has been proven that atoms are the building blocks of everything. What makes up an atom though? This question has lead to the development of string theory. If a scientist were to look at what makes up electrons, protons, and neutrons in an atom you would find little quarks and if he or she looked even deeper they would find vibrating strings of energy. There are 4 main points to string theory; first is the dimensions and what’s in each. Next are the graviton and, then the unification theory. Finally, the last point is feasibility and ability to falsify the string theory. Finally, I will discus the senseless amount of money spent trying to disprove string theory.

How the Hidden Dimensions Affect Our Universe

The theory of relativity originally called for 3 space dimensions and 1 of time but with the addition of these complex inter-dimension strings 10 are called for. Open strings stay in groups of dimensions but closed strings can move freely through the dimensions. Gravitons have the ability to travel between dimensions; gravitons are the base particles of gravity. When these gravitons transfer dimensions they send out a ripple bending the other particle’s auras (Superstring Theory. 3-44)

D-branes can, according to our notion of dimensions, be 0 dimensional through 3 dimensional. A 0 dimensional one is, in actuality, a point as by geometric definition. A D-brane “emits” closed strings because closed strings have no open end to attach to the brane. These also cause ripples in the aura of energy caused by strings and particles at this sub-atomic level (Superstring Theory. 17-19) these two factors can cause changes in the visible dimensions that they have next to no effect. However, if you have read the butterfly theory then you know the importance here. Even the slightest changes of seemingly insignificant proportions can cause a chain reaction causing a noticeable change. To explain, imagine a dealer constantly shuffling and dealing out a deck of cards. Although the probability is low, very remarkable combinations, such as all the cards being in order, can occur.

Gravity: Finally Understood

Through the trials and tribulations of string theory a new and surprising explanation for one of natures most powerful forces, gravity. The graviton is the highlight of the current string theory, it explains how gravity works. Gravity can be pictured as spheres that are contained in everything; then if you broke something like an atom open then for a split second tons of gravitons would explode out of it before floating off to another dimension. These spheres act like magnets pulling everything towards each other in a field-like fashion (Green. 135-256)

Although a graviton has never been seen, their existence has been proven with many tests by Fermi lab and other renowned scientists. This task has added to the never-ending list of tests to run with the Large Hadron Collider. It is believed that we will get our first view of a graviton near the end of the century due to the inability to predict where a graviton will go and is thus nothing more than a shot in the dark (Rees. 27-59)

Unification: the secret?

Long ago a man named Einstein, one of the greatest thinkers to grace this planet, was working until his death to find the holy grail of physics: the unification theory. It is called unification theory only because one theory is wanted; it does not speak to the real reason. A long known fact of life is that there is no answer that is completely correct and answers everything. We are seeing the precise reasons for unexplained phenomenons that no string theory has been able to explain so far.

However, this is not an easy task. Many scientists argue over the validity and possibilities of certain properties and thermos contained within string theory. Even the commonly accepted ideas are frequently questioned and little progress is to be made. Still, this is a quest for the truth; negotiations will not give us that. These difficulties with proving speculations have made headway for a major issue, the time, money and energy being disposed into proving string theory.

Proving the string theory wrong or right would involve billion dollar investments to catch a glimpse of dimensions that are so hard to prove they even exist. Until science has evolved to the point where we can walk across the multiverse string theory will be no more than that, a theory. Neither time nor money should be thrown at its inability to currently be disproven. Truly, string theory has greatly affected our ideas and beliefs about the universe around us. It has opened new doors to untouched sciences waiting to be discovered, and that is what we owe to string theory.

Works Cited

Green, Michael B., John H. Schwarz, and Edward Witten. Superstring Theory: Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. 19 Mar. 2009 .

Rees, Martin. Before the Beginning: Our Universe and Others. Reading, Massachusetts: Helix Books, 1997.

Schwarz, Patricia. String Theory Basics. http://www.superstringtheory.com/basics/index.html, 2009.

Superstring Theory. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics , 2009. Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics . 19 Mar. 2009 .