What Do String Theory and Loop Quantum Gravity Aim to Explain?

mcgucken
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Could Someone Please Explain Exactly What String Theory and LQG Are Trying To Do?

I have recently had the opportunity to ask this question to a couple prominent physicists, and they could not answer it.

What is the purpsoe of these theories? What do they explain that is not explained by SR, GR and QM?

What are the postulates of String Theory? Are there any? Is there any premise as simple or beautiful as Einstein saying "The speed of light is constant in all frames," or "energy is quantized," or Bohr stating, "The electron orbits the nucleus at only discrete energy levels."

Does String Theory or LQG have any simple forumlas associated with them, such as E=mc^2, E=hv, or something like Shroedinger's Equation?

Do they account for non-locality as demonstarted in EPR, Bell's Theorem, and Aspect's experiments?

Does either theory unify Rel. and QM?

Finally, why should we have to unify relativity and QM?

Must we also unify Hiphop and Classical Music in some new musical genere? Or can we realize that each works in a given venue, and that music and the human heart underly both?
 
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mcgucken said:
Could Someone Please Explain Exactly What String Theory and LQG Are Trying To Do?

I have recently had the opportunity to ask this question to a couple prominent physicists, and they could not answer it.

What is the purpsoe of these theories? What do they explain that is not explained by SR, GR and QM?

GR and QM are apparently not able to combine into a unified theory. One basic purpose of both strings and quantum gravity programs is to remedy this by achieving a theory that spans both and reduces to each as special cases. In addition string theory is motivated the belief that it does describe basic nature better that the previous theory, the Standard Model of Particle Physics. The Standard Model has about 19 undefined parameters in it, and another goal of physicists is to find explanations for these. It is one of the boasts of string theory that it does not have ANY undefined parameters. These claims of string theory are not belied by its present multivacuum difficulties.

What are the postulates of String Theory? Are there any? Is there any premise as simple or beautiful as Einstein saying "The speed of light is constant in all frames," or "energy is quantized," or Bohr stating, "The electron orbits the nucleus at only discrete energy levels."

The premise of string theory is contained in the Nambu-Goto Lagrangian; The local action of a string worldsheet is proportional to its change in area.

Does String Theory or LQG have any simple forumlas associated with them, such as E=mc^2, E=hv, or something like Shroedinger's Equation?

See above.

Do they account for non-locality as demonstarted in EPR, Bell's Theorem, and Aspect's experiments?

QM and all the research you site does not assert nonlocality as local realist theories would have it. It shows that local realist theories are false.

Does either theory unify Rel. and QM?

String theory claims its graviton reproduces Einstein's GR physics in flat spacetime. The quantum gravity workers are all trying to couple quantum matter to their various quantum gravities.

Finally, why should we have to unify relativity and QM?

From the time of Galileo science has been monist, looking for unified explanations. It bothers physicists that the two best theories around are so contradictory to each other.

Must we also unify Hiphop and Classical Music in some new musical genere? Or can we realize that each works in a given venue, and that music and the human heart underly both?

This confuses an artistic field where there's no one right answer with a rational one where you do seek for THE answer. BTW all through my lifetime classical composers have been trying, with variable success, to unify their music with the everchanging manifestations of popular music, starting with rag time and jazz.
 
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brunardot said:
The need for complete unification across disciplines (TOE) is that it would unify science, theology, and philosophy . . . a prerequisite for ameliorating religious and secular fundamentalism . . . without which tolerance and sustainability are but words.

Thanks for the answers!

There is only one science of the heart, and that is art. :)

I'm not sure that any physical theory will ever unify poetry and physics, without oversimplifying poetry and leading physics astray.

Has string theory had any successes in anything its attempted?

Has it unified quantum mechanics and relativity?
 
mcgucken said:
There is only one science of the heart, and that is art. :)

Incorrect. It is called cardiology
 
The basic programme of String Theory, as I understand it, is to take the wildly successful Standard Model, and tweak in a way that is likely to preserve the successful features of the Standard Model, yet also includes a graviton from which General Relativity can emerge. Also, it would like to provide a way to derive the fundamental constants of the Standard Model.


The basic programme of Quantum Gravity, as I understand it, is the modest goal of simply trying to figure out how to quantize General Relativity. The hope is that once this task is accomplished, it will be more clear how to merge Quantum Gravity with the Standard Model.

Loop Quantum Gravity is the branch of Quantum Gravity that postulates that basic geometric excitations take the form of loops.
 
When you say "LQG wants to quantize gravity," what exactly do you mean?

Why must gravity be quantized?

How will it be quantized?

Did quantum mechanics arise because somoene wanted to quantize photons/particles, or did quantum mechanics arise because photons/particles are quantized?
 
Its not because they WANT to quantize photons and particles, its because it is quantized. We do things to find out how things truly are. Gravity doesn't have to be quantized but people do these things and study things and do various experiments to find out IF it is. Also, if we knew if it were quantized, we will know how its quantized and we can't just tell it how to be quantized.
 
Instead of qunatizing gravity, couldn't we just quantize time, space, or space-time?

This would explain the quantum behavior of small particles in and short distances, while allowing for the classical behavior of large objects and long distances.
 
Well I am far as hell from an expert but that woudlnt explain quantized energy levels of say, electrons. Someone else probably has a better explanation.
 
  • #10
  • #11
Instead of qunatizing gravity, couldn't we just quantize time, space, or space-time?

Don't forget that, according to GR, gravity is space-time.


LQG has achieved a quantized space-time: the basis states are "spin networks" -- graphs whose nodes represent a "chunk" of space-time, and whose edges represent the boundary between neighboring chunks. The area and volume operators of LQG have quantized spectra.
 
  • #12
By the way, the quantum behavior of bound particles in the Standard Model is not suggestive of quantized space-time. Furthermore, this neglects free particles for which things like energy do not have discrete spectra.

(Incidentally, I do not know of a bound system for which the position operator has a discrete spectrum, but then again I don't know a vast array of examples)

AFAIK, people have tried to directly put QFT onto a discrete lattice, with little success.
 
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  • #13
brunardot said:
... Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) theory and Brane theory, as variants of string theory...
LQG is [at least here] usually taken to mean Loop Quantum Gravity. I'm not aware of any association between Linear Quadratic Gaussian theory and string theory.
 
  • #14
Pengwuino said:
Gravity doesn't have to be quantized but people do these things and study things and do various experiments to find out IF it is.

It is not so much that we have a choice, and the "unification of gravity and quantum theory" is not a matter of "what if" ? If gravity and quantum theory could exist peacefully together, that would disturb nobody, but they don't: both theories (general relativity and the standard model) give wildly incompatible predictions (even inconsistencies) when you push them into domains where both are relevant.

It is a bit analogous to the following story. On a faraway planet there's a civilisation of beings, the size of an ant and two geniuses have established 2 theories: Euclidianus has a theory of the surface on which they live (2-dim flat surface), and this works well for road and field work and coastal navigation. Newtonibus has a theory of planets being points and this works well to predict the motions in the sky. But both theories (flat Earth vs. points in space) are INCOMPATIBLE, however, if you speculate in domains which are far beyond the experimental reach of these creatures, like "what happens when I make a very very long road, how come that I cannot reach another planet" and so on.
So comes a new theory: planets are spheres !
This unifies both previous theories: in small enough areas, the surface of the sphere approaches the flat surface of Euclidianus, and at far away distances, the spheres look like points as in the theory of Newtonibus.
That doesn't change the fact that for all practical purposes, the theories of Euclidianus and Newtonibus are sufficient to explain about all phenomena in the sky and on the land, and that it will be damn difficult for these creatures to TEST the new theory.

cheers,
Patrick.
 
  • #15
mcgucken said:
Could Someone Please Explain Exactly What String Theory and LQG Are Trying To Do?

Every major String Theory revolution seems to be aimed at making it more
difficult to falsify it... Job security?


In the seventies so many nice theories ended up in the waste bin because
of non-renormizability. The first String Theory revolution in the eighties then
made it easy to renormalize about anything. One could develop theories
without fear again.

But it gave an explosive number of theories. Surely from N different theories
there must be N-1 wrong? So who's right and who is wrong? Infighting
and conflict was the result. Then, the second String Theory revolution
in the nineties unified them all in 11 dimensions and peace returned.

Nevertheless impatience grew because it predicted no SM parameters.
Then, luckily, the latest String Theory revolution adequately solved this
nuisance with the Landscape model which tells the world there's no need
to predict anything since it's just all "random". And so, it relieved the
community from the outside pressures.

Two days ago there was a panel discussion about what the next String
Theory revolution could be:

http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/04-05/string-theory/strings2005/panel.html

Why should you want yet another one when you've already achieved that
String Theory can't be falsified in a thousand years? Making it THE theory for
the next Millennium... :smile:


Regards, Hans
 
  • #16
Hans de Vries said:
Every major String Theory revolution seems to be aimed at making it more
difficult to falsify it... Job security?


In the seventies so many nice theories ended up in the waste bin because
of non-renormizability. The first String Theory revolution in the eighties then
made it easy to renormalize about anything. One could develop theories
without fear again.

But it gave an explosive number of theories. Surely from N different theories
there must be N-1 wrong? So who's right and who is wrong? Infighting
and conflict was the result. Then, the second String Theory revolution
in the nineties unified them all in 11 dimensions and peace returned.

Nevertheless impatience grew because it predicted no SM parameters.
Then, luckily, the latest String Theory revolution adequately solved this
nuisance with the Landscape model which tells the world there's no need
to predict anything since it's just all "random". And so, it relieved the
community from the outside pressures.

Two days ago there was a panel discussion about what the next String
Theory revolution could be:

http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/04-05/string-theory/strings2005/panel.html

Why should you want yet another one when you've already achieved that
String Theory can't be falsified in a thousand years? Making it THE theory for
the next Millennium... :smile:


Regards, Hans

Hello Hans,

I pretty much figured this as String Theory has not achieved anything in the realm of physics.

It's sad that it's given so much prominence.
 
  • #17
Who are the top young String Theorists? What are their definitive papers?

Einstein wrote a few definitive papers. Debroglie wrote a definitive paper. Maxwell and Planck wrote definitive papers.

Have any string theorists written any definitive papers? I'd love to read the definitive papers, although I think I already have.

Who are the big names in string theory these days? Who are the young guns?

What's the latest of the latest? What's the buzz, hype, and new new thing?
 
  • #18
You could try searching for them. Marcus, for example, manages to bring up an amazing wealth of papers from people working on Quantum Gravity, and shares his findings in this very forum. I can't imagine it would be that hard to find papers on String Theory, if that's what you would prefer to see.

www.arxiv.org would probably be a good place to look.
 
  • #19
But with Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, we know the definitive papers without having to google them.

And even if I found the greatest papers on String Theory, how would I know?

What are the leading journals for String Theory?

I think I know, but I might not. Thanks!
 
  • #20
A very brief amount of searching brings up this historical timeline:

http://superstringtheory.com/history/history4.html

I would surmise that if you find the papers behind those events, you would have found for what you're looking.
 
  • #21
mcgucken said:
But with Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, we know the definitive papers without having to google them.

That's because over the years they have trickled down to the textbook level, so they are common knowledge to anyone who has studied physics in the last several decades. To find string theory papers you have to search for them. But as has been noted, it's not that hard.
 
  • #22
But how come you can't name any top papers?

How come nobody can name any, and yet we can supposedly go find them without too much effort?

String theory is 30+ years old.

It didn't take Einstein's, Bohrs, and Feynman's definitive papers 30 years to "trickle" down.

So again I ask, what are String Theory's definitive papers?

If they don't exist, that's fine--it wouldn't surprise me.
 
  • #23
mcgucken said:
But how come you can't name any top papers?

Because I'm not into string theory. Look, what is your objective here? To actually find these papers, or to thumb your nose at string theorists? If it's the former, then follow the lead Hurkyl gave you. But if it's the latter, then you will have to find another website on which to conduct your crusade.
 
  • #24
I'm just wondering why nobody can name any leading papers on String Theory in a forum devoted to String Theory.

If someone could point out some major papers on String Theory, then perhaps we would have something to discuss in this forum.
 
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  • #25
mcgucken said:
I'm just wondering why nobody can name any leading papers on String Theory in a forum devoted to String Theory.

I thought you were wondering what the top papers are? If that is the case, then why don't you look for them? That was, after all, your supposed purpose for starting this thread. Or was that just a pretense?

If someone could point out some major papers on String Theory, then perhaps we would have something to discuss in this forum.

If you have nothing to discuss here, then by all means don't.
 
  • #26
Tom Mattson said:
Because I'm not into string theory. Look, what is your objective here? To actually find these papers, or to thumb your nose at string theorists? If it's the former, then follow the lead Hurkyl gave you. But if it's the latter, then you will have to find another website on which to conduct your crusade.

The site Hurkyl gave me has absolutely no links to papers.

http://superstringtheory.com/

The site's a joke--no equations, no papers, no postulates, no fundamental principles--just the typical hand-waving and cool pictures.
 
  • #27
mcgucken said:
The site Hurkyl gave me has absolutely no links to papers.

He gave you 2 sites. The other one is the arXiv. I know for a fact that string papers have been uploaded to that site.
 
  • #28
mcgucken said:
If someone could point out some major papers on String Theory, then perhaps we would have something to discuss in this forum.

If they don't exist, that's fine--it wouldn't surprise me.
Troll alert! LoL, forum personas make me laugh. This guy is looking for trouble.
 
  • #29
Severian596 said:
Troll alert! LoL, forum personas make me laugh. This guy is looking for trouble.

I'm not looking for trouble.

I'm just looking for someone to direct me to a couple of the leading papers on String Theory.

Then we can pick one and perhaps discuss it.

Thanks in advance!
 
  • #30
I've merged this thread with the thread, "Could Someone Please Explain Exactly What String Theory and LQG Are Trying To Do?" The content of the two was not sufficiently different to warrant 2 separate threads.
 
  • #31
this was post #6 in the original thread
relating to the question "what string theory and LQG are trying to do"
and shed some light. want to keep tabs on this one and few others
Hurkyl said:
The basic programme of String Theory, as I understand it, is to take the wildly successful Standard Model, and tweak in a way that is likely to preserve the successful features of the Standard Model, yet also includes a graviton from which General Relativity can emerge. Also, it would like to provide a way to derive the fundamental constants of the Standard Model.


The basic programme of Quantum Gravity, as I understand it, is the modest goal of simply trying to figure out how to quantize General Relativity. The hope is that once this task is accomplished, it will be more clear how to merge Quantum Gravity with the Standard Model.

Loop Quantum Gravity is the branch of Quantum Gravity that postulates that basic geometric excitations take the form of loops.
 
  • #32
this is post #15 of orig.
another possibly illuminating one. Patrick quoted Pengwuino question and then replied.
vanesch said:
Pengwuino said:
Gravity doesn't have to be quantized but people do these things and study things and do various experiments to find out IF it is.

It is not so much that we have a choice, and the "unification of gravity and quantum theory" is not a matter of "what if" ? If gravity and quantum theory could exist peacefully together, that would disturb nobody, but they don't: both theories (general relativity and the standard model) give wildly incompatible predictions (even inconsistencies) when you push them into domains where both are relevant.

It is a bit analogous to the following story. On a faraway planet there's a civilisation of beings, the size of an ant and two geniuses have established 2 theories: Euclidianus has a theory of the surface on which they live (2-dim flat surface), and this works well for road and field work and coastal navigation. Newtonibus has a theory of planets being points and this works well to predict the motions in the sky. But both theories (flat Earth vs. points in space) are INCOMPATIBLE, however, if you speculate in domains which are far beyond the experimental reach of these creatures, like "what happens when I make a very very long road, how come that I cannot reach another planet" and so on.
So comes a new theory: planets are spheres !
This unifies both previous theories: in small enough areas, the surface of the sphere approaches the flat surface of Euclidianus, and at far away distances, the spheres look like points as in the theory of Newtonibus.
That doesn't change the fact that for all practical purposes, the theories of Euclidianus and Newtonibus are sufficient to explain about all phenomena in the sky and on the land, and that it will be damn difficult for these creatures to TEST the new theory.

cheers,
Patrick.
 
  • #33
this was post #16, Hans responding directly to the part of the orig. question about what string research tries to accomplish.

Hans de Vries said:
Every major String Theory revolution seems to be aimed at making it more
difficult to falsify it... Job security?


In the seventies so many nice theories ended up in the waste bin because
of non-renormizability. The first String Theory revolution in the eighties then
made it easy to renormalize about anything. One could develop theories
without fear again.

But it gave an explosive number of theories. Surely from N different theories
there must be N-1 wrong? So who's right and who is wrong? Infighting
and conflict was the result. Then, the second String Theory revolution
in the nineties unified them all in 11 dimensions and peace returned.

Nevertheless impatience grew because it predicted no SM parameters.
Then, luckily, the latest String Theory revolution adequately solved this
nuisance with the Landscape model which tells the world there's no need
to predict anything since it's just all "random". And so, it relieved the
community from the outside pressures.

Two days ago there was a panel discussion about what the next String
Theory revolution could be:

http://www.fields.utoronto.ca/programs/scientific/04-05/string-theory/strings2005/panel.html

Why should you want yet another one when you've already achieved that
String Theory can't be falsified in a thousand years? Making it THE theory for
the next Millennium... :smile:


Regards, Hans
 
  • #34
trying to paraphrase vanesch and hurkyl, connecting with earlier part of thread

Vanesch (Patrick wlcm back long time no see) says QM and GR need to be unified in a single theory (a quantized Gen Rel I guess) because in situations where they both are supposed to be applicable they DISAGREE!
It is disturbing to have models of nature that you believe describe things right which say different things. nature can't really be that way, can it?

So then Hurkyl says that String program and QG program are two very different ways of responding to the problem.
One (QG) simply tries to quantize Gen Rel. But Gen Rel is a geometric theory of gravity that says "gravity=geometry", gravity effects arise from the shape of the universe, from dynamic spacetime geometry. So that means that QG has to somehow get a handle on all the possible geometries of the universe. So in some way QG is modest and focused on one goal---quantizing Gen Rel. But that involves a somewhat dauntingly ambitious project of coping with all these shapes of spacetime.

The other programme (String) says Hurkyl, "is to take the wildly successful Standard Model, and tweak in a way that is likely to preserve the successful features of the Standard Model, yet also includes a graviton from which General Relativity can emerge. Also, it would like to provide a way to derive the fundamental constants of the Standard Model."
That is, you don't try to quantize the geometries, you take a static geometric stage on which things happen and you quantize a particle that carries the gravitational force or mediates gravitational interaction, just like photon mediates EM interaction. the nice part is you don't have to worry about a myriad changing uncertain spacetime geometry, you usually just take one smooth fixed geometry and let particles run around in it---that makes things easier. but there is also the hard, ambitious part, of wanting to include the whole standard model, all the usual particles, and add gravity in, and get a single picture.

so the first thing one notices is that the two programs have radically different aims. even if String program could be a smashing success (no clear evidence that is happening) even then it wouldn't satisfy the QG people. Because there would be a smooth fixed, usually flat, geometric background, in which the particles run around. Just seeing gravitons swimming in a static background wouldn't make them happy. they have to see expanding space, big bangs, collapsing stars, colliding black holes and all that very dynamic actionpacked highly curved stuff. they want all those possible geometries quantized in a blurry cloud of uncertainty. and geometric operators reading off information from it.

And even if the QG program overwhelmingly succeeded it would still not satisfy the String people because it would only quantize Gen Rel. It would not include all the colors of quark and the families of neutrinos and all that Standard Model business. It would just provide a quantum spacetime for things to happen in.
 
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  • #35
mcgucken said:
I'm not looking for trouble.

I'm just looking for someone to direct me to a couple of the leading papers on String Theory.

Then we can pick one and perhaps discuss it.

Thanks in advance!
Hopefully I'm not repeating someone else, but have you looked at this forum topic yet?

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=8493
 
  • #36
Thanks for all the feedback here, but all I'm looking for is one or two papers we could discuss.

If nobody else suggests a couple papers, or if nobody knows of any, then I will introduce a couple papers to discuss, which I believe are the leading papers/definitive papers on String Theory.

But it seems very strange to me that nobody can name a definitive paper.

When we discuss Relativity, be it SR or GR, there are a couple of very definitive papers, written by an Individual--Einstein.

When we discuss QM, there are perhpas more definitive papers, but there are definitive papers, written by Bohr, Planck, Einstein, Debroglie, Heisenberg, Dirac, Pauli, Shrodenger.

But somehow String Theory seems to get by without any definitive papers or individuals. I know there's Brian Greene and Edward Witten, and I've read some of their scholarly work, but I wouldn't call it definitive, as it doesn't add up--it's more of a promise and a request for faith.

Thanks again for all the feedback, and I hope I'm not stepping out of bounds, but to have a proper discussion of string theory, it seems we would need to start with string theory's central postualtes, which would be in a definitive paper somewhere.

Thanks!
 
  • #37
I move that we discuss Witten's foundational paper which includes Witten's postulates of String Theory.

After that I propose that we discuss Brian Greene's revolutionary paper on String Thoery and the Laws of String Theory he lays out.

I suppose we can continue the discussion in this thread. I have the papers--can anyone find any online copies or online descriptions of the central postulates of String Theory?

Feel free to post away concerning Witten's and Greene's postulates.

Here's the wikipedia page on Witten:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Witten

Here's the wikipedia page on Brian Greene:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Greene

Unfortunately neither of these pages describe their postulates of String Theory, nor link to any of Greene's nor Witten's definitive papers. Perhaps we could add that information--wikipedia is "open source."
 
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  • #38
I apologize if I have done anything to inhibit this thread.

I agree that we should only discuss theories here, and not personalities. I am sorry for bringing up Brian Greene and Edward Witten. From hereon out let us discuss only their postulates and laws, but not their names, quotes, tv shows, assertions, musings, opinions, promises, nor personalities. Physics, after all, must be based in physics.

Let us only discuss String Theory's leading postulates, laws, and predictions in the perfect vacuum it deserves.

Thank you.

Please feel free to post a postulate, law, or prediction of String Theory, but nothing else.
 
  • #39
In defense of a Poetry/physics link

mcgucken said:
Thanks for the answers!

There is only one science of the heart, and that is art. :)

I'm not sure that any physical theory will ever unify poetry and physics, without oversimplifying poetry and leading physics astray.

Has string theory had any successes in anything its attempted?

Has it unified quantum mechanics and relativity?

You are probably correct that a physical theory, as such are now defined, could ever unify physics and poetry. However, such would be a requirement if there were to be a TOE. TOE, plausible or not, has attracted some serious attention.

TOE must define, in addition to the phenomena of physics, both life and consciousness in physical terms. The definition of life is not now clearly defined across all disciplines; and less is known of its origin; however, many scientists are attempting an understanding of both.

Consciousness is equally difficult, if not more so, to define. A definition might possibly be accomplished by reducing consciousness to a form of exceptionally rapid, complex, analog feedback.

Poetry is a result of consciousness (possibly, a feedback response from a person’s fundamental physical origins; much like a physical massage). If consciousness/life were physical manifestations, it would seem to follow that physics and poetry might have a similar origin. Such is the quest of TOE.

I agree ENTIRELY with your various assessments of string theory throughout many posts.

However:

String theory, simply put: tries to explain, mathematically, fundamental physical phenomena in such a manner that the phenomena is unified and reconciles with observation.

String theory incorporates some accurate ideas; that are observable on a macro scale (compared to the scale of many/most strings); such as: seminal energy (“dark” energy) that is manifested as vibrating (actually, complex oscillating) strings.

String theory errs when it incorporates, or attempts to explain, the irreconcilable theories of conventional physics’ standard models, which have proven to be incorrect except under specific conditions or parameters. The standard models in their present form are contrived; and no fundamental theory, as string theory claims to be, can be expected to integrate them.

Strings theory attempts to incorporate physics’ conventional, contrived forces that are ill-defined in a manner such that most knowledgeable persons trained in philosophical logic would think that physics relies upon metaphysics.

String theory is also incomplete in that it does not precisely, and reconcilably, define, mathematically, the internal structure of its strings or their motion, which motion can be construed as seminal motion.

String theory also is silent concerning the etiology of inertial forces as observed in nature as demonstrated by accelerating galactic recession.

String theory is correct in assuming that an infinite source of energy manifests as complex oscillations and emanates from an undetermined source (and, also . . . so returns to this source).

These oscillations, which are complex amalgams of slide, swing, and vibration, must be defined mathematically so that they incorporate all the observed properties of nature, which are properties that must also be mathematically expressed. Simply: sinusoidal and elliptical equations must be related in a relativistic manner at the macro and micro levels.

A starting point, leading to new physical paradigms should not be too difficult; these new paradigms must consider the geometry and source that would, together, describe the genesis of these complex, seminal oscillations and their etiology as they morph to mass.

Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) theory and Brane theory, as variants of string theory, are subject to the same above limitations; they are imperfect mathematical tools working at irreconciled limits that are imposed by conventional physics.

A purpose of these theories is to unite SR GR and QM in such a way that natural phenomena can be explained with a single and/or a few fundamental concepts. Their prospects of success without a “new physics” as proposed by Weinberg the philosopher/physicist is most unlikely.

A unification of physics and poetry is as dependent upon the natural origins of number theory as it is on defining the natural origins of “action-at-a distance.”

The most simple formulas associated with fundamental number theory are: 1.) “epsilon equals one,” which has to do with the proof of one and a most unusual quality of all ellipses; and, 2.) “the natural function, x^2 – x,” which mathematically, heuristically, represents a soliton that is a wave function found in all natural phenomena.

If TOE should ever be found, physicists must lead the way, as philosophers and theologians are not equipped to recognize the proofs.

The need for complete unification across disciplines (TOE) is that it would unify science, theology, and philosophy . . . a prerequisite for ameliorating religious and secular fundamentalism . . . without which tolerance and sustainability are but words.

This diatribe is all because I feel a need to defend a physics/poetry link. :)
 
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  • #40
Could someone please post a postulate, law, or prediction of String Theory?

We would all very much like to discuss it!

Thanks!
 
  • #41
mcgucken said:
Could someone please post a postulate, law, or prediction of String Theory?

One important basic postulate of String Theory, is that
LQG won't work

this is known as the Motl Axiom and is invoked to prove an important theorem, the One Best Hope Theorem:

String is our one best hope of a theory unifying QM and GR

Your next statement, Mcgucking, is quite possibly mistaken, unless ironically intended

We would all very much like to discuss it!

[the above post is kidding]
 
  • #42
Well I just caught on to the fact that Dr. McGucken has a similar format to PF site

http://physicsmathforums.com/index.php?

http://physicsmathforums.com/

and it evidently has parts that haven't been posted in yet
and the maximum visitors was in March 2005
so probably is asking for some aggressive promoting

so now I think i understand better why we have some commotion and
occasional argumentativeness

Mcgucken I believe you would like to attract some of us (not me because i am basically too stodgy but some of the faster crowd) to come over to your Forums site! I think that is fine and perfectly legitimate and i hardly blame you since there is a fine bunch of people here! You would naturally like some to come and be members. That is all well and good.

However it means that you personally are not someone whom we can assimilate to the PF culture and all that, such as it is (and it is pretty nice actually) because you HAVE YOUR OWN OUTSIDE THING.

So I think I will not try to pursue this thread and discuss what LQG and other approaches to quantum gravity are trying to do---which is pretty hard any way. quantum gravity people ARE trying to achieve something, but it really is not easy to talk about IMHO.
 
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  • #43
Hello Marcus,

I am only trying to discuss the postulates of String Theory, wherever I can on the internet.

I'm assuming that the postulates will be the same, assuming that all posters are in inertial frames. :)
 
  • #44
The postulates of ST are assumptions

mcgucken said:
Could someone please post a postulate, law, or prediction of String Theory?

We would all very much like to discuss it!

Thanks!
As I understand ST, its current postulates are assumptions.

ST assumes that fundamental energy evolves and manifests in the form of strings of varying or unknown definition, in an unknown manner, from an unknown source.

These strings are usually said to vibrate; however, the better string theorists realize that they oscillate; though, I am not aware of anyone that has described the geometry or relativity of said oscillation in detail. From what I understand the only validity of ST is the assumption of oscillating energy. If the internal structure of this energy was understood and all else thrown out, ST might have some redeeming merit.

Then, ST attempts, with the “vibrating” strings to explain the etiology of light and gravity from the coalescence, or whatever, of said string phenomena. Thus, light and gravity would have a common foundation; and thus, be unified. At present ST depends on conventional theory to explain the process of “whatever” and that which is being unified.

Assuming that the problems of paragraph one and two can be resolved (they should require little more than a desktop computer, philosophical logic, and a day or so to reconcile with current observation.); ST still can not achieve its goal. You cannot reconcile ill-defined forces that are currently defined such that they are little more than metaphysical (requiring much faith to accept) concepts.

Understanding nature cannot be accomplished from the “top down.” A good beginning would be to agree on a most fundamental concept and then determine its source and evolution. I know of nothing that “exists” that does not have motion; so motion of “nothing” would be a good starting point. Next its source, geometry, and “nothing” must be pinned down. Once this is done, the other parts of the jig-saw puzzle should quickly fall into place, as we have observation to guide the procedure.

One must be careful not to go astray because of the influence of current academic theory.

And, of course, as McGucken/Astro is aware, the puzzle’s solution should not be rushed, as it will detrimentally influence many grants and consequent sinecures.

Imagine, if metaphysical gravity waves were shown to be a hoax how many jobs would be lost. Caltech, alone, is approaching a billion dollars on a single gravity wave seeking experiment.
 
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