Strings and Extra Dimensions Most physical theories have a unique basic set of fields and interactions, but the equations may have many different solutions. For instance, Einsteins theory of general relativity has many nonphysical solutions in addition to the cosmological solutions that look like our own universe. We know that there are solutions of string theory in which the 10 dimensions take the form of four macroscopic spacetime dimensions and six dimensions curled up in such a way as to be almost invisible. The hope is that one of these is relevant to physics in our world. To begin to understand the physical consequences of tiny, curled-up extra dimensions, let us consider the simplest relevant example. The simplest possibility is to consider strings propagating in nine-dimensional flat spacetime, with the 10th dimension curled up on a circle of size R. This is clearly not a realistic theory of quantum gravity, but it offers us a tantalizing glimpse into one of the great theoretical questions about gravity: How will a consistent theory of quantum gravity alter our notions of spacetime geometry at short distances? In string theory, the concept of curling up, or compactification, on a circle, is already startlingly different from what it would be in point particle theory. To compare string theory with normal particle theories, we will compute the simplest physical observable in each kind of theory, when it is compactified on a circle from ten to nine dimensions. This simplest observable is just the masses of elementary particles in the lower-dimensional space. It will turn out that a single type of particle (or string) in 10 dimensions gives rise to a whole infinite tower of particles in nine dimensions. But the infinite towers in the string and particle cases have an important difference that highlights the way that strings see a different geometry than point particles.
Posted on: Tue, 28 Jan 2014 15:31:46 +0000