14 DAY TRIAL // The string theory, in fact an abbreviation for superstring theory, is a theoretical model of fundamental physics who claims that the building blocks of the physical world are not the zero-dimensional point particles that form the basis for the Standard Model of particle physics, but rather one-dimensional extended objects called strings, that pulsate, coil and vibrate.
The Standard Model is adjusted by string theorists, saying that, in fact, every particle is the result of vibrating strings on energy, whose variations produce different particles. The string theory is hoped to unify the known natural forces (gravitational, electromagnetic, weak nuclear and strong nuclear) by describing them with the same set of equations.
However, there are very few ways of experimentally proving the principles of this theory. With the construction of the Large Hadron Collider in CERN some scientists hope to produce relevant data in this case, but the continuous technical difficulties that the accelerator encountered so far have delayed the plans for a definite confirmation.
But now, a team of Princeton University scientists have found new mathematical evidence that some of string theory's predictions may combine with those of a well-respected part of physics called gauge theory (a class of physical theories based on the idea that symmetry transformations can be performed locally as well as globally), which has been demonstrated to underlie the interactions among quarks and gluons, the short-lived small objects that combine to form protons, neutrons and other, more exotic subatomic particles.
This discovery could lead to a number of string theory uses in tackling physics problems.
"These problems include describing the interactions among the quarks within everyday atomic nuclei," said Igor Klebanov, the Thomas D. Jones Professor of Mathematical Physics at Princeton and an author of a recent paper on the subject. "We have previously been able to study these interactions in detail only at the high-energy conditions within particle accelerators, but with these findings we may be able to describe what's happening inside the atoms that make up rocks and trees. We cannot do so yet, but it appears that the math of string theory could be what we need to bridge this gap."
They still have a long way to go, but this discovery may well be the starting point for a better understanding of the subatomic world, as it gives some pretty strong numerical evidence for the validity of the string theory in experimental applications.
"The sad truth is that when these quarks and gluons start binding together into protons and neutrons, this interaction force grows very strong, and it is hard to use gauge theory to understand it," Klebanov said. "Basically, to understand how we are actually made of all this stuff, we need to understand quark and gluon behavior when the interaction force gets strong."