In 1979, two scientists met at the Center for Nuclear Research (CERN).
These men’s names are Michael Green and John Schwarz. John Schwarz had been working on the Theory of Superstrings/Theory of Everything. Michael Green, the younger of the two men, was studying all the research he could get his hands on and was fascinated by the theory. In 1974, John Schwarz, who had grown tired of the Theory of Superstrings and the Theory of Everything, found new passion and new data that would fuel Michael and his own research.
Very few other scientists wanted to become involved in the theories and left the work to the two men, Green and Schwarz. They found this perfectly acceptable because they would now receive all credit for their work. The old paradigm suggests that the universe is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The new paradigm, however, states that the universe is made up of tiny superstrings that vibrate at specific frequencies, much like a guitar string. Complicated formulas, such as E8 X E8, divide in two during the Big Bang and create two identical universes: E8 and E8 shadow. This allows the theory to explain the four forces of nature and even indicates the existence of a universe of shadow matter” that exists parallel to our own.
The theory also suggests that our universe evolved out of a higher dimensional space during the first instances of the Big Bang. What this means is that during the Big Bang, particles and other matter escaped and created our universe. This matter was only half of the equation, acting like twins or a parallel universe that, in theory, is the same as our own.
Evident resistance to the Superstring Theory of Everything is the fact that the money needed to build a machine, the Relativistic Klystron Two Beam Accelerator, that will be able to produce enough energy as at the beginning of creation, is near impossible. The coming of a machine like the RK/TBA may present the last experiment of this sort carried out by scientists. The faith that physicists have that the goal is within reach is only based on the beauty of their Superstring Theories. Should the building of the RK/TBA succeed in producing the energies the scientists intend, then it will be decided whether the physicists will find everything or nothing.
The greatest impact that the Superstring Theories will have on society as a whole will be several things, such as knowing that we are no longer alone in the universe and that there may be some other kind of intelligent life that we may be able to interact with. Additionally, we may be able to create tiny universes of our own. How, you ask? Well, if we can create or duplicate the amount of energy needed to create our universe, then there may be a way to create another universe using that technology.
Bibliography: Peat, David F. Superstrings: Search for a Theory of Everything. Contemporary Books Inc., Chicago, 1988.
