Exploring the Scientific Accuracy of Whiteboards in The Big Bang Theory

[arivero]

Any pointers about where to get information and perhaps pictures of the different whiteboards shown in Big Bang Theory?

I am particularly interested on the season where Sheldon abandons string theory; the boards for this chapter (155, season 7 ep 20, aired 10th April 2014) seem to show some M-theory + D-branes generic content, and the next day seem to be some model building with GUT groups but not the common presentation.

 

[robphy]

Have you visited https://thebigblogtheory.wordpress.com/ ?
(Yes, I know the last entry is November 2013... so this doesn't apply to the particular whiteboard you ask about.)

[I wonder if this blog is run by an old classmate of mine. EDIT---based on the next two replies, I think it is.]

 

[arivero]

I think the blog is/was by Saltberz himself. I could try to ask him, but I am not sure if he is still the author of the whiteboards.

 

[Vanadium 50]

David is still the author of the whiteboards.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Any pointers about where to get information and perhaps pictured of the different whiteboards shown in Big Bang Theory?

Photos! :)

 

[arivero]

Photos! :)

I am sorry I'd need a Full HD copy.

This is one

from ch 21, so the day or week after Sheldon leaves string theory. It seems it is building a GUT multiplet, but in a very peculiar way.

The whiteboard next to the exit door seems related

as it is building something out of SU(N).

Sorry the bad quality. This was from a supossedly HD copy, but better I will try to reproduce the chapter in Netflix.

 

[arivero]

Ok, in the first minute there is a well focused one. Note the peculiar way of arriving up to the right-handed neutrino.

 

[arivero]

And here a well focused version of the other whiteboard

So it seems the guys have been working some variant of SU(5) / SO(10) GUT, have them?

 

[arivero]

And got time to look at chapter 155... the day he decides to break with String Theory, the board in the entry door shows the M-theory diagram:

Is it the last attempt to some particle pheno from string? It looks a concrete selection of branes.

 

[arivero]

According http://bigbangtheory.wikia.com/wiki/The_Relationship_Diremption the equations of this last day are from https://arxiv.org/abs/1310.1185 The wikia does not have, as far as I see, info on the equations of the next day.

 

[arivero]

The equations of the "next day" follow presentation and notation of Baez and Huerta, https://arxiv.org/abs/0904.1556

 

[arivero]

In S11E13, Sheldon goes back to strings! The whiteboards of the next episode, S11E14, are a topic in Lubos' blog: https://motls.blogspot.com.es/2018/01/which-stringy-paper-inspired-sheldon.html?m=1

Also in S11E14, Penny mumbles something about Godzilla going to the Strings 2018 meeting.