String theory is very complex and even quite strange. Is she popular? Yes, popular. In the scientific community they talk about it enough. It is believed that it will give us all the answers about the structure of the Universe.
String theory
She has how many versions. It is possible that among them there is a universal theory, that is, one that will help to understand the essence of everything. Surprisingly, the basics of everything are hidden in several equations. More recently, string theory has combined with the concept of supersymmetry. The result was superstring theory. It succeeded in combining many knowledge about the properties of the basic elements of that matter, of which our Universe actually consists.
The theory of supersymmetry itself is based on the concept, the essence of which is that there are carrier particles and interacting particles. The latter are something like bricks of the universe, and carrier particles act as a kind of cement.
In the standard model, the bricks are quarks, and the carriers are calibration bosons. Quarks exchange gauge bosons with each other.
String theory and supersymmetry theory are difficult to understand, but the picture of the universe that they paint is not so difficult to imagine. In microscopic dimensions, one can observe the transformation of matter into a series of field standing waves. These waves are very similar to those that are excited in the strings of any musical instruments. In the strings of matter, for example, like a guitar, not only the fundamental tone can be excited, but also various harmonics or overtones. Each harmonic has its own energy state. The essence of the principle of relativity is that mass and energy are equivalent. It follows that the higher the frequency of the harmonic wave vibrations of the strings, the more significant and higher the energy, as well as the mass of the observed particle.
It’s not so difficult to imagine a standing wave in a guitar string, however, those standing waves that the string theory offers are not easy to imagine. The bottom line is that the vibrations occur in that space, which has eleven dimensions at once. For us, of course, is a familiar space in which there are only four dimensions. In the space of strings, things are completely different. Physicists cannot really figure out extra dimensions that are not observed at ordinary energies.
String theory has also been developed in the theory of multidimensional membranes. What are multidimensional membranes? In principle, they differ from strings in that they have a flat shape. Physicists joke: membranes and strings are like vermicelli and noodles.
All the information above is often the cause of a variety of disputes. In principle, a theory in physics is always something complex, not easy to explain, multi-level. There are always plenty of disputes.
Yes, many theories claim to be universal, that is, one that would reveal the secret of the universe and make it clear the essence of all unions of force interactions.
In general, it is worth noting that string theory is not sinless. She still does not have a strict mathematical form. The reason for this is that the mathematical apparatus is simply not developed enough to achieve a similar result. String theory has existed for more than twenty years, but physicists still cannot unite its conflicting principles. In addition, it is worth considering that not a single laboratory experiment has been proposed that could confirm its truth. Of course, all the knowledge about her is still only theoretical. What are the forecasts? They are numerous - there are enough among them both positive and negative.