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The most immediate advances in the theory of string theory may arise
as a result of new particle accelerators and the study of black holes.
Progress has already been made on understanding the thermodynamics of black
holes, and D-branes may allow further progress in this field 5.
In the realm of particle accelerators, current theory holds that supersymmetry
may well exist at the electroweak scale. Once accelerators reach above
1 TeV (1000 GeV) it may be possible to detect some supersymmetry in the
four dimensional world. Because there are countless Calabi-Yau manifolds
that dimensions may be compacted on, it is hoped that one will be found
via particle accelerators that could explain why the universe compacted
from the ten dimensions before the big bang down to the low energy four
dimensions of present 3. These experiments may be
in the not-too-distant future. The large hadron collider (LHC) in Geneva,
Switzerland will begin operating in 2005. It will produce 8 TeV per beam
and should be powerful to begin probling supersymmetry at the electroweak
scale. The American superconducting supercollider was cancelled, unfortunately.
It would have been approximately 20 TeV per beam 4.
Finally, there may be more exploration in the matrix conjecture, which
relates "a certain limit of M-theory with a certain limit of supersymmetric
Yang-Mills theory" 6. |
