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String Theory Put to the Test

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the line-em-up-and-shoot-em-down dept.

secretsather writes to mention that scientists have come up with a definitive test that could prove or disprove string theory. The project is described as "Similar to the well known U.S. particle collider at Fermi Lab, the Large Hadron Collider, scheduled for November 2007, is expected to be the largest, and highest energy particle accelerator in existence; it will use liquid helium cooled superconducting magnets to produce electric fields that will propel particles to near light speeds in a 16.7 mile circular tunnel. They then introduce a new particle into the accelerator, which collides with the existing ones, scattering many other mysterious subatomic particles about."

2 of 407 comments (clear)

  1. The LHC is at CERN by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I think it's funny how the article forgets to mention that the LH collider is located at the CERN (the European nuclear physics institute). As a matter of fact, it is not only in Switzerland, but extends to France as well. The article only mentions it is similar to the U.S. Fermilab accelerator, but then forgets to add that there are many kinds of accelerators world wide.

    Funny, ain't it?

  2. Re:Epicycles redux? by Ambitwistor · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Everyone always seems eager to compare to epicycles any modern physics theory they don't care for. String theory, dark matter, what have you...

    Physicists were led to string theory in a search for a consistent theory of quantum gravity, not in a search to make up the most complicated theory possible to fudge arbitrary data. For more on why string theory should be taken seriously as a solution to this problem, you can read a long analysis in a previous post of mine here. String theory itself cannot be modified to "fit" to a model; it is a unique theory with no adjustable parameters or interactions. However, you can construct various string models to fit observations, as you can presently using quantum field theory models like the Standard Model.

    It is also not correct that string theory doesn't make testable predictions. This whole story is about testing predictions of certain string models. However, we can't presently test predictions of all string models at once, and thus rule out all of string theory. But then, the same is true of quantum field theory models as well; there are infinitely many such models that could be true but which we can't yet test.