A question about superstring theory...?

Question

To all the phycisicts and grad students reading this - If I understand it correctly, string theory says that all matter and energy are just manifestations of strings vibrating at different frequencies. My question is this: Is there a limit to the frequencies a string may vibrate at, and what is responsible for determining these frequencies? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

The only limit on the frequencies of the string vibration is that it must be the resonant modes of the string (meaning that only oscillations that are an integer number of times along the string's length). And it is the energy of the string that determines the frequency, i.e. high energy means high frequency.

Answer 2

I don't know, but there are two pertinent facts about all such vibrations.

1)The frequencies are quantized--you can get a fundamental and various harmonics--just like a guitar string.

2)If the "waves" occur on some sort of lattice, then the physically meaningful vibrations will be limited to within a certain band--beyond these, you are describing wave crests which are not on the lattice, and hence not really in the space you are concerned about. Something like this is what makes crystalline solids have energy bands.

What modes you get depends on the directions in which the strings are allowed to vibrate--different direction=different kind of particle. The strings are supposedly looped in a very complex-looking (or rather sounding, because you can't picture it) space, and for the same direction different modes can exist. Are these supposed to be different particles, or just higher-energy states of the same particle? I am ignorant on that one.

Are there lattice effects? Again I do not know.

Answer 3

my genius dad says you need to read a book on string theory, because the answer to your question can't really be explained in x amount of words.

Answer 4

doesnt matter string theory is a bunch of bull anyway

Answer 5

you'd better hope stephen hawking answers, again, 'cause, possibly, only HE knows about string theory, and i don't think he even believes in it. as my physics doctor friend always answers, lazy *** that he is, "you'd have to know all the physics i know to understand the answer.".