String Field Theory: Will It Outshine String Theories?

In summary, String Field Theory is a research area that is still being used, but is not as popular as it once was.
  • #1
Reedeegi
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Sifting through ArXiv and other sources, I've found many documents on the topic of String Field Theory, perhaps the most extensive being by Thorn, 1989*.
This brings up the question: Will String Field Theory evolve in popularity and perhaps outshine the more traditional String Theories? With all the popularity of field theories these days, I'd expect that it has such potential, but I don't really know.



*If you wish to read his 170 page introduction to SFT, go to Google Scholar and type in "String Field Theory Thorn" and find the PostScript document by Thorn.
 
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  • #2


My impression is that string field theory is being used less and less as time passes, rather than more.

When I look around for work using string field theory I seem to find it mostly comes from the 80s and 90s.

I don't know nearly enough about the subject to know why this is or whether it's deserved.
 
  • #3


To correct my own post:

See this post at Not Even Wrong, partially about a talk by Polchinski wherein he predicted string field theory to be one of the three big growth areas in string theory. I asked if people thought string field theory was still going strong as a research program and got a response from "somebody":

Coin, in the last decade, there were two developments in string field theory that I consider “major”. One was from Ashoke Sen’s beautifully simple idea of tachyon condensation, which gave us the basic conceptual understanding of SFT that we have now. The second is Schnabl’s solution of the closed string theory vacuum, which is more technical, but has created some powerful new tools and has made previously intractable questions within reach.

I.E., studies of tachyon condensation within string theory are part of the subject of string field theory. Tachyon condensation is as far as I know a big deal in string theory lately. So it looks like my post before was incorrect.
 

1. What is String Field Theory?

String Field Theory is a theoretical framework in physics that attempts to unify the concepts of string theory and quantum field theory. It proposes that the fundamental building blocks of the universe are not point-like particles, but rather one-dimensional objects known as strings.

2. How is String Field Theory different from String Theory?

String Field Theory differs from String Theory in that it allows for the possibility of multiple strings interacting with each other, whereas String Theory only considers individual strings. This allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and interactions of strings.

3. What are the potential benefits of String Field Theory?

The potential benefits of String Field Theory include a more complete understanding of string interactions, the possibility of solving some of the open problems in string theory, and a deeper insight into the fundamental nature of the universe.

4. Will String Field Theory replace String Theory?

It is unlikely that String Field Theory will completely replace String Theory. While it offers a more comprehensive framework, String Theory has been extensively studied and has made many successful predictions. Both theories have their own strengths and limitations, and it is possible that they will coexist or even merge in the future.

5. Is there any experimental evidence for String Field Theory?

Currently, there is no direct experimental evidence for String Field Theory. However, some of its predictions, such as the existence of supersymmetric particles, have been indirectly supported by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider. Further research and experimentation are needed to fully test the validity of String Field Theory.

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