We, as humans, have always been curious about the foundations of this universe we live in, every existing living and non-living matter, and even ourselves. Questions like "What is the universe, and how did it come into existence?", "How and in what way did we, as humans, come to be?", "What is the essence of everything, and what constitutes the foundation and essence of this universe and ourselves?", and "How were we created, and what will be our end?" are just some of the many questions we have asked and that have always remained in our minds. And when we look at human history, we always see that philosophers and scientists have been occupied with these questions and have sought answers to them. In this article, we will talk about the most well-known of the many theories that scientists have proposed on these topics: String Theory.
Imagine taking any living or non-living matter and examining it. We see that there are atoms there. As we go deeper, we discover subatomic particles like protons, electrons, and neutrons. Then, as we delve even further, we encounter quarks, leptons, and bosons. And if we dive deeper still, we come across even more different things. While searching for an answer to the fundamental question of "What is the raw material of everything?", instead of finding clarity, these investigations and experiments have led to even more complexity, revealing new things each time. To understand the essential properties, existence, and essence of this universe, we have looked very deeply into the past, and with every new discovery, we have been amazed once again. There was a time when scientists believed that atoms were the smallest building blocks. Later, by colliding and splitting them, they discovered the subatomic particles we mentioned above: protons, electrons, and neutrons. But then they realized that these, too, are made up of even smaller particles—quarks, leptons, bosons, and many more...
Later on, they wanted to go even further—what else is out there, deeper down? What lies at the core of everything? What is matter? What is energy? And now, what exactly is String Theory, which we are about to discuss?
Before getting into its details, let’s briefly define it: String Theory is "a theory in particle physics that attempts to unify quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity." Therefore, understanding String Theory requires an understanding of both quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity. You may now ask, "Why are you explaining these theories?" Since String Theory is formed from the union of these two theories and is referred to as the theory of everything, we need to be familiar with them as well. So let’s briefly explain quantum mechanics and general relativity to better understand String Theory.
Quantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics, is a fundamental theory in physics that studies subatomic particles. It is also referred to as wave mechanics or nicem mechanics. Quantum mechanics seeks to explain the properties of molecules, atoms, and the particles that form them, such as electrons, protons, neutrons, quarks, and gluons. In simple terms, it is the study of the universe at the particle level, delving deeper than atoms.
The General Theory of Relativity, developed by Albert Einstein, is essentially a theory of gravitation. Unlike Newton's theory of gravity, it explains gravity not as a force arising from masses but as the curvature of space itself. According to general relativity, mass causes the space around it to bend, and free objects (those not influenced by any force) follow the shortest path between two points. As we mentioned earlier, String Theory is formed from the combination of these two theories. Both work beautifully on their own, but how did they come together? How can they be compatible? They are two fundamentally different theories, like opposing lovers—seemingly impossible to unite. Yet, at this point, some physicists began working on combining them, and thus, String Theory emerged.
In 1984, two famous physicists, Michael Green and John Schwarz, proposed String Theory as a result of their research. Although it seems to be the most reasonable theory, String Theory requires a very different perspective on the universe. According to String Theory, all particles in the universe are actually tiny, vibrating strings. Furthermore, each vibration corresponds to a different small particle. Think of a violin...
Just like the strings of a violin, every particle in nature can bend and stretch. These bendings and stretchings produce different notes, creating different sounds. The threads of matter that String Theory describes are so small that their size is around 10-33 cm.
Moreover, breaking the rules of modern physics, String Theory also suggests that the universe must be examined not in just 4 dimensions, but in at least 11 dimensions. According to modern physics, the universe is analyzed in dimensions such as up-down, forward-backward, left-right, and space-time. However, String Theory argues that at least six more dimensions must be added, and the universe must be analyzed as having 11 dimensions. Yet, at least for now, what these other six dimensions are remains unknown—one of the major question marks of String Theory.
The answer to this question is "yes" according to some scientists, and "no" according to others. Those who say "yes" argue that all theories should be unified under a single theory called the "Unified Field Theory." Since String Theory is considered the strongest theory within this framework and explains many things, it should be regarded as the theory of everything.
The theories that should be studied under the Unified Field Theory are as follows:
• String Theory
• Superstring Theory
• Theory of Relativity
• Quantum Physics Theory
• Loop Quantum Gravity Theory
According to some scientists, String Theory, which encompasses all other theories, is simply the theory of everything.
Before concluding, we should, of course, mention the views of the renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking on this topic. Hawking stated that this theory, which aims to explain the existence of the universe through a single formula, has not yet reached its final form and that this might be possible towards the end of the 21st century. According to Hawking, once this formula is completed, humanity will have discovered the "formula of God," and this moment will represent the ultimate triumph of human intellect.
Orhan Açıkgöz
Yücel Cultural Foundation
Voluntary Author
YKV Content:1614