String theory to the rescue
High Energy Physics - Theory
2015-12-17 v5 History and Philosophy of Physics
Abstract
The search for a theory of quantum gravity faces two great challenges: the incredibly small scales of the Planck length and time, and the possibility that the observed constants of nature are in part the result of random processes. A priori, one might have expected these to be insuperable obstacles. However, clues from observed physics, and the discovery of string theory, raise the hope that the unification of quantum mechanics and general relativity is within reach.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1512.02477,
title = {String theory to the rescue},
author = {Joseph Polchinski},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1512.02477},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
Prepared for the meeting "Why Trust a Theory? Reconsidering Scientific Methodology in Light of Modern Physics", Munich, Dec. 7-9, 2015. v2,3,4,5: added comments, references