Can string theory predict particle masses such as neutrinos?

In summary, string theory phenomenologists must make various choices and tune parameters to fit the standard model and incorporate additional string-inspired structures. However, there are many different ways to do this and it is a difficult problem to solve, with potential issues down the line. Some believe that breakthroughs in theory must occur before progress can be made in discarding models.
  • #1
bananan
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since presumably electrons, photons, gravitons, and neutrinos are just vibrations of a string?
 
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  • #2
Presumably it will. However, it doesn't appear that it has been developed enough.
 
  • #3
Its better to say its model dependant.. String theory phenomonologists have to take a stringy inspired version of reality, make various choices, tune a bunch of parameters and throw in some extra string inspired structures (for instane Dbranes) and then they can indeed output various particle masses like neutrinos.

The problem is the choices are sort of inherently put in by hand to fit things, at a higher level. Which is fine, the standard model is no better (except that we had experiment to put things in by hand for us), but the problem is

1) Lots of presumably different ways you can do this
2) The phenomology is complicated, no one has ever gotten the vanilla standard model exactly, with everything just right, and no additional structure (which again is probably a good thing, b/c we hope to see more structure eventually). The problem is often this additional 'put in by hand' structure might lead to problems down the line, or it has various nagging finetuning problems, or it can violate astrophysics constraints, or it has hard to believe exotics, too many fcncs, etc etc. Its a monumentally difficult problem to solve, and no real first principle way on how to choose the best angle of attack. This is why some people believe breakthroughs have to first occur on the theory side, before progress in discarding models can really take place.
 

1. What is string theory and how does it relate to predicting particle masses?

String theory is a theoretical framework in physics that attempts to explain the fundamental nature of particles and their interactions. It proposes that particles are not point-like objects, but rather tiny one-dimensional strings that vibrate at different frequencies. These vibrations determine the properties of the particles, including their mass.

2. Can string theory accurately predict the masses of all particles, including neutrinos?

String theory has the potential to predict the masses of all particles, including neutrinos. However, due to the complexity of the theory and the lack of experimental evidence, it has not yet reached a level of accuracy to make precise predictions for all particles.

3. How does string theory differ from traditional particle physics theories in predicting masses?

In traditional particle physics theories, particle masses are considered to be fundamental and cannot be explained by any underlying mechanism. In string theory, particle masses are derived from the vibrations of strings, providing a potential explanation for the different masses of particles.

4. Are there any experimental results that support string theory's predictions of particle masses?

At this point, there is no experimental evidence that directly supports string theory's predictions of particle masses. However, string theory has been successful in resolving some theoretical issues in particle physics and has the potential to be tested through future experiments.

5. Are there any challenges in using string theory to predict particle masses?

One of the main challenges in using string theory to predict particle masses is the complexity of the theory itself. It requires advanced mathematical techniques and is still not fully understood. Additionally, there is a lack of experimental evidence that can be used to test the predictions of string theory for particle masses.

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