Question to the String theorists

[f-h]

Following up on his recent posting on CV I looked at Tom Banks papers on the archive, and came across hep-th 0412129 (and skimmed 0306074).

Most of this argument is quite beyond me but I'd be curious as to what "practicing Stringtheorists" think of them.

I generally like the parts of the arguments I understand about the role backgrounds should play in QG.

I plan to read his work on Quantum deSitter eventually, so if anyone has any pointers on this I'd be grateful as well,

thanks,
fh

 

[marcus]

Following up on his recent posting on CV I looked at Tom Banks papers on the archive, and came across hep-th 0412129 (and skimmed 0306074).
...

Like you, f-h, I'd also be interested in hearing what anyone familiar with string thinking has to say about these two papers by Tom Banks. Banks was one of the early developers of "M theory" (and also incidentally Lubos Motl's PhD thesis advsior at Rutgers). I read parts of one of the two paper you mentioned, back in 2003, intrigued by Bank's apparent opposition to Leonard Susskind's "Anthropic Landscape" which came out around that time. I hope you get some stringy response to your question!

http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0306074
A Critique of Pure String Theory: Heterodox Opinions of Diverse Dimensions
T. Banks (SCIPP, U.C. Santa Cruz, Nhetc, Rutgers U.)
82 pages
(Submitted on 9 Jun 2003)

"I present a point of view about what M Theory is and how it is related to the real world, which departs in certain crucial respects from conventional wisdom. I argue against the possibility of a background independent formulation of the theory, or of a Poincaré invariant, Supersymmetry violating vacuum state. A fundamental assumption is black hole dominance of high energy physics. Much of this paper is a compilation of things I have said elsewhere. I review a crude argument for the critical exponent connecting the gravitino mass and the cosmological constant, and propose a framework for finding a quantum theory of de Sitter space."

http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0412129
Landskepticism: or Why Effective Potentials Don't Count String Models
T.Banks
22 pages
(Submitted on 13 Dec 2004)

"This paper is a synthesis of talks I gave at the Cargese Workshop in June 2004 and the Munich Conference on Superstring Vacua in November 2004. I present arguments which show that the landscape of string theory is not a well established feature of the theory, as well as a brief discussion of the phenomenological prospects of the landscape and the use of the anthropic principle."

 

[Entropia]

As a fellow scientist and string theorist, I am familiar with Tom Banks' work and his contributions to the field. While I cannot speak for all string theorists, I can offer my perspective on his papers and the role of backgrounds in quantum gravity.

Banks' papers, particularly hep-th 0412129 and 0306074, touch upon important concepts in string theory such as the role of backgrounds in the theory and the potential implications for quantum gravity. His work on Quantum deSitter also delves into the relationship between string theory and cosmology, which is a fascinating and active area of research.

In terms of the role of backgrounds in string theory, it is a crucial aspect in understanding the behavior of strings and their interactions. In fact, string theory was originally developed as a theory of background-independent quantum gravity. However, as our understanding of the theory has evolved, the role of backgrounds has become more nuanced and complex. Banks' work adds to this ongoing discussion and offers new insights into the role of backgrounds in string theory.

I would also recommend reading Banks' work on Quantum deSitter, as it offers a unique perspective on the potential connections between string theory and cosmology. It is an exciting area of research and I am sure you will find his work thought-provoking.

Overall, I believe that Banks' papers are valuable contributions to the field of string theory and quantum gravity. As with any scientific work, it is important to approach it with an open mind and continue to explore and question the ideas presented. I hope this helps in your understanding of Banks' work and the role of backgrounds in string theory.