To listen to people speak about string theory is a lesson in ambiguity. No one is willing to commit to a solid opinion, on either side of the coin, and they dance upon the fence as if they were auditioning for a Garfield strip.
Wikipedia follows suit, describing it as ‘an as-yet incomplete mathematical approach to theoretical physics, whose building blocks are one-dimensional extended objects called strings, rather than the zero-dimensional point particles that form the basis for the standard model of particle physics.’
I mention this because a recent discovery hints towards the possibility that cosmic strings do actually exist.
For another example of the sheer inability people have of taking a side, we turn to Martin Kunz, a scientist at the University of Geneva; “At the moment, what we have found slightly prefers, or at least does not disfavor, cosmic strings.”
Cosmic strings are a fundamental aspect of many high-energy physics theories, but one that – like dark matter in its schrodinger's cat-like existence and alike to black holes in its inability to be seen – betrays any attempt at confirmation.
What is theorized though – amidst another shower of furious non-committal reasoning – is that cosmic strings are thought to be spaghetti like structures, each mile weighing possibly as much as our entire planet. However while its weight may be somewhat substantial, its size is minimal at best, posited to be significantly smaller than an atom.
“As these strings move around,” Kunz explains, “they will cause perturbations, attracting matter behind them. These perturbations become visible in the comic microwave background radiation. If there are cosmic strings, they induce extra perturbations that could be indirectly detected.”
The team, led by Mark Hindmarsh of the University of Sussex in Brighton, U.K., including Kunz, as well as Neil Bevis at Imperial College in London and Jon Urrestilla at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, USA, used a supercomputer to create different models to test their cosmic string theories.
“We made new simulations of traces of cosmic strings,” Kunz says. “We calculated perturbations from standard inflation and calculated them from cosmic strings. We did model comparisons.”
The theory, continuing in the ambiguous pattern of non-confirmation, was that when compared to cosmic microwave data from NASA’s Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, cosmic string theories are the best explanation for the pattern of microwave radiation present in the universe.
“If we could detect strings,” Kunz points out, “it would tell us a lot about particle physics, and help us understand more about the fundamental structure of physics at very high energies, much higher than what can be probed in particle accelerators. Finding strings would be very helpful in areas of fundamental theory.”
By the end of this piece I have no doubt that you’ll be a little tired of my continually referring to the ambiguity of cosmic strings. But the simple fact is that there is no definite answer yet. The upcoming Planck Satellite mission may provide better data which could help solve the problem; no one is quite sure. But this theory has the possibility to tie together quantum physics and gravity – a feat not easily done.
“What this does is show that cosmic strings could account for what we can detect in the universe,” Kunz finished off. “It doesn’t prove anything, and we do need more data. But it does show us that cosmic strings are worth looking at again. We haven’t detected them yet, but it’s something to watch for.”
Information and quotes from PhysOrg.com, used by permission.
Joshua Hill, a Geek’s-Geek from Melbourne, Australia, Josh is an aspiring author with dreams of publishing his epic fantasy, currently in the works, sometime in the next 5 years. A techie, nerd, sci-fi nut and bookworm.
