THEORY OF EVERYTHING

“Brahmn is at once Shabd (Aum) and Ashabd both, and Brahmn alone vibrates in space”
--sama veda

“Physics is now ready to read the mind of GOD”

--Stephen Hawking

For years, humans have been wondering about how the universe works. Some have
attributed the workings of the universe to a superpower while others have continued to
find some rational explanation. Now we are getting in a position to answer those
questions once & for all.

Need for unification

There are two pillars upon which physics rests. One is Einstein’s General Relativity
which provides a framework to understand large scale objects like black holes, stars etc.
The other is Quantum Mechanics (QM) which provides a framework to understand
small scale objects like electrons, protons etc. General relativity explains gravity while
QM describes 3 forces viz electromagnetism, strong & weak nuclear force.
Thus, we see that the description of universe is kind of split up into two different theories,
each explaining the workings within a certain scale, but we live in one universe, so we
should ideally expect one and not multiple theories to explain the workings of our
universe. So, there is a need for a theory which can unify General Relativity and
Quantum Mechanics, and thus combine all the forces and all matter so that in one single
theory, one single equation we can have a description of everything, right from massive
stars to sub-atomic particles. In fact, Einstein spent the last 30 yrs of his life in search for
a ‘grand unification’ but he failed. Before going any further, I should first explain the
basics of these pillars.

General Relativity
Albert Einstein, in order to resolve a contradiction between Newtonian gravity and his
own theory of Special Relativity (where 3 dimensions of space and the dimension of time
are merged into a single entity called ‘spacetime’), proposed a General theory of
Relativity which describes gravity as emerging from of spacetime itself. Einstein applied
Riemannian geometry (differential geometry) and distance relations to the fabric of
spacetime, and found that the mass of an object causes spacetime surrounding the object
to curve, which in turn causes other objects in this region to follow this curvature. Thus
gravity is a consequence of curvature of 4 dimensions. Physicist John Wheeler puts it as
“matter tells spacetime how to curve, while the curved spacetime tells matter how to
move”. One thing to remember is that in General Relativity the ‘smoothness’ of
spacetime i.e. space without any rips and tears is very essential.
Quantum Mechanics
Quantum Mechanics describes the interaction of small-scale subatomic matter particles
like electrons, quarks (which makes up protons and neutrons). Also, according to QM,
there is a particle associated with every force e.g. a photon is a ‘quantum’ of light
(Electromagnetic force), Gluon is a quantum of Strong Nuclear force while WZ Boson is
a quantum of radioactivity (Weak Nuclear force). QM unites all the forces of nature
except for gravity since, as described below, it isn’t capable of giving a description of
gravity at the level of particles like the way it does for other forces. One of the most
curious aspects of QM is the uncertainty principle according to which one can either
know the ‘position’ of a particle or its ‘velocity’ in space but cannot know both at the
same time. This principle has huge implications as you shall see below.

Incompatibility of General Relativity & Quantum Mechanics

According to Einstein, spacetime is smooth and without any tears. But if we examine any
particle on small scales Quantum Mechanics comes into picture. As we examine the
particle closer and at smaller scales we get increasingly ‘certain’ of the position of the
particle. However, as per the uncertainty principle of QM the velocity of the particle
becomes uncertain. On examining the particle even further closely, the velocity of the
particle increases so much that the resulting energy starts to rip the space apart. These
quantum fluctuations start disturbing the smooth geometry required by General
Relativity. The notion of a smooth spatial geometry, the central principle of general
relativity is destroyed by the quantum fluctuations on small scales. On ultramicroscopic
scales, the central feature of QM –the uncertainty principle- is in direct conflict with the
central feature of general relativity-the smoothness of space-time. On sub-Planck scale
(10−33 cm) general relativity breaks down. Thus, no one knew how to combine general
relativity and quantum mechanics.

Strings
We know that every atom is made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Each proton
and neutron are in turn made up of 3 quarks. Until string theory, we considered these
particles as the most fundamental particles in nature.
However, according to String theory, if we could see through these particles we should
see a tiny vibrating ‘string’. Further, it claims that every particle is nothing but a
manifestation of vibrations of strings. Just like plucking a guitar string in different ways
produces different musical notes, different vibrations of the same subatomic strings give
rise to different particles observed. Thus, electron is one vibrational pattern of string
while a photon corresponds to a different vibration of string, and so on. In theory, we can
convert an electron to a quark or some other particle by simply changing the vibrational
pattern of its strings.
Universe can be thought of as a cosmic symphony of strings where everything is nothing
but dance of strings. It means, if this theory is correct, strings become the fundamental
unit replacing the notion of point particles.

Resolution of conflict
So, how does String theory give us any hope of uniting general relativity and QM? Once
strings become the fundamental unit it would imply that nothing, absolutely nothing, can
be smaller than a string. Thus, a point particle notion is replaced by an extended 1-
dimensional string. The length of string is about a Planck length (10−33 cm). But the
conflict between GR and QM arises from the sub-Planck-length properties of space.
Since nothing can be shorter than a Planck length, we would never need to get down to
those scales and the conflict doesn’t happen. In one elegant stroke, strings resolve an age-
old problem.

Grand Unification
With String theory, for the first time in the history of physics, we have a framework with
the capacity to explain every fundamental feature in the form of one theory. GR describes
gravity and QM describes the remaining 3 forces and sub-atomic particles. In string
theory, there is one vibrational pattern of string which corresponds to a particle called the
‘graviton’. A graviton is proposed to be the smallest packet (quanta) of gravitational force
just like a photon is for electromagnetic force. Strings give a quantum description of
gravity which was thought impossible just a few years back. Thus, combining GR & QM
combines all the forces of this* universe without any conflict. For this reason, string
theory is called as the “theory of everything” or the “final theory”.

Extra Dimensions
One of the most bizarre things string theory proposes is that universe is made up of 11
dimensions, not just the four dimension we see (length, breath, height, and time). String
theory requires 11 dimensions of spacetime to exist but for some reason we aren’t smart
enough to see them. Otherwise, there isn’t enough room for the strings to vibrate. You
would know that a negative probability is rubbish (0<P<1). But certain equations of QM
were giving a negative probability. However, this problem got rid when the number of
dimensions were increased. At 11 dimensions, probability becomes positive.
Imagine a long thin circular rod. If you were to watch it from a distance, then it would
appear 1-dimensional like a line. But get close to it and you see another dimension (the
circular) curled up dimension. Physicists have reasoned that these extra dimensions,
which we aren’t able to observe, might be very tiny and curled up into a higher-
dimensional shape called Calabi-Yau-space.
Fig: A Calabi-Yau-maniford which is a higher dimensional shape

Maybe, if string theory is correct, we live in a universe with more than four dimensions,
and perhaps one day our children will be drawing isometric views of objects in higher
dimensions.

The Test
A scientific theory needs to be experimentally tested before it claims to be right.
Currently, we don’t have all the required tools to test the predictions of string theory,
unless of course you have a knack of venturing to higher dimensions with the help of
some substances. However, we have built the greatest machine of any kind that has ever
been built in the history of humankind (not just in the history of science), the Large
Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva costing $10 billion to build, requiring the
largest known human collaboration with over 10,000 scientists, 600 institutes around the
world, as well as may countries forgetting their borders to collaborate for one single
purpose – to probe the reality of nature. LHC accelerates particles to almost the speed of
light before colliding them to generate the sort of energy which can create particles which
are otherwise hard to observe, allowing us to probe deeper into atoms.
We have had some success there by observing the Higgs Boson, the particle that gives
mass to everything in universe, however to observe strings, gravitons, or supersymmetric
particles predicted by the theory, we might need colliders that operate at much higher
energies. We may someday observe them, or we may never, but one thing is for sure that
we have come a long way from wondering as a cave nomad to reading the mind of god,
who himself might just be a vibration in space.

Faraz Baig

*: The equations of string theory don’t give unique solution which has lead many physicists to
regard that these solutions might represent other parallel universes which might be floating in
extra-dimensional hyperspace. There could be a multiverse of parallel universes lying in higher
dimensions.

References:
• Greene, Brain. The Elegant Universe. New York: Vintage, 1999.
• Kaku, Michio. Parallel Worlds. New York: Doubleday, 2004.
• Hawking, Stephen; Mlodinow Leonard. The Grand Design. London: Bantam
Press, 2010