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String theory
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String theory
Superstring theory
String theory
Superstring theory
Bosonic string theory
M-theory (simplified)
Type I string · Type II string
Heterotic string
String field theory
Holographic principle
Strings · Branes
Calabi–Yau manifold
Kac–Moody algebra
D-brane
E8 Lie group
Supersymmetry
Supergravity
Quantum gravity
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String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything (TOE), a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system. The theory has yet to make novel experimental predictions at accessible energy scales, leading some scientists to claim that it cannot be considered a part of science.String theory posits mainly that the electrons and quarks within an atom are not 0-dimensional objects, but rather 1-dimensional oscillating lines ("strings"). The earliest string model, the bosonic string, incorporated only bosons, although this view developed to the superstring theory, which posits that a connection (a "supersymmetry") exists between bosons and fermions. String theories also require the existence of several extra, unobservable dimensions to the universe, in addition to the four known spacetime dimensions.The theory has its origins in an effort to understand the strong force, the dual resonance model (1969). Subsequent to this, five different superstring theories were developed that incorporated fermions and possessed other properties necessary for a theory of everything. Since the mid-1990s, in particular due to insights from dualities shown to relate the five theories, an eleven-dimensional theory called M-theory is believed to encompass all of the previously-distinct superstring theories.Many theoretical physicists (e.g., Hawking, Witten, Maldacena and Susskind) believe that string theory is a step toward the correct fundamental description of nature. This is because string theory allows for the consistent combination of quantum field theory and general relativity, agrees with general insights in quantum gravity (such as the holographic principle and Black hole thermodynamics), and because it has passed many non-trivial checks of its internal consistency. According to Stephen Hawking in particular, "M-theory is the only candidate for a complete theory of the universe." Nevertheless, other physicists (e.g. Feynman and Glashow) have criticized string theory for not providing any quantitative experimental predictions.
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