String Theory: Origins?

Question

Who first theorized this concept, how does this apply to the real world, and are there any good references?

Answer 1

All began when somebody wanted make the all's theorie

Answer 2

Pythagoras could be called the first known string theorist. Pythagoras, an excellent lyre player, figured out the first known string physics -- the harmonic relationship. Pythagoras realized that vibrating Lyre strings of equal tensions but different lengths would produce harmonious notes (i.e. middle C and high C) if the ratio of the lengths of the two strings were a whole number.

   Pythagoras discovered this by looking and listening. Today that information is more precisely encoded into mathematics, namely the wave equation for a string with a tension T and a mass per unit length m. If the string is described in coordinates, where x is the distance along the string and y is the height of the string, as the string oscillates in time t, then the equation of motion is the one-dimensional wave equation where v w is the wave velocity along the string.

Another surprising revelation was that superstring theories are not just theories of one-dimensional objects. There are higher dimensional objects in string theory with dimensions from zero (points) to nine, called p-branes. In terms of branes, what we usually call a membrane would be a two-brane, a string is called a one-brane and a point is called a zero-brane.

    What makes a p-brane? A p-brane is a spacetime object that is a solution to the Einstein equation in the low energy limit of superstring theory, with the energy density of the nongravitational fields confined to some p-dimensional subspace of the nine space dimensions in the theory. (Remember, superstring theory lives in ten spacetime dimensions, which means one time dimension plus nine space dimensions.) For example, in a solution with electric charge, if the energy density in the electromagnetic field was distributed along a line in spacetime, this one-dimensional line would be considered a p-brane with p=1.

        A special class of p-branes in string theory are called D branes. Roughly speaking, a D brane is a p-brane where the ends of open strings are localized on the brane. A D brane is like a collective excitation of strings.

    These objects took a long time to be discovered in string theory, because they are buried deep in the mathematics of T-duality. D branes are important in understanding black holes in string theory, especially in counting the quantum states that lead to black hole entropy, which was a very big accomplishment for string theory

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good references;

http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/publi...

http://www.sukidog.com/jpierre/strings/

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Conferences online;

http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/strings2002/

http://online.itp.ucsb.edu/online/mtheor...

http://pauli.physics.lsa.umich.edu/w/arc...

Physics sites;

http://www.hawking.org.uk/home/hindex.ht...

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/rjn...

http://www.psrc-online.org/

http://www.intute.ac.uk/sciences/

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/in...

http://www.universetoday.com/

Answer 3

Yoichiro Nambu, Lenny Susskind and Holger Nielsen were the early developers of the String theory in the 60s.

The string theory is an attempt to define some of the natural forces using quantum physics that science does not completely understand, such as gravity, electromagnetism, and nuclear energy.

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

Answer 4

String theorists, starved of anything tangible to go on, seem to be appropriating known physics to suit their own ends. Without a testable hypothesis, string theory is no better than religious dogma and is sure to appeal to the fantasist inside of everyone, but whether this is reality rather than wishful thinking remains to be seen.

dramatic....yes.

outrageous....yes

science....no.

Answer 5

I'd google it, were I you but...

Most famous current proponent - Stephen Hawking but it is the culmination of work by hundreds of Physicists.

Relation to the real world - well, you can't see it but strings are the things that hold us all together - from quarks to atoms to humans.