I am not grasping this Super String Theory very well so I have this question:
If different particles are just vibrating strings that are a trillion trillion trillionth of the size of the particle then what stops more than one string existing in the same place as the string responsible for the particle? Is there some sort of force which stops strings getting in the way of each other?
Am I way off the concept because it’s difficult for me to grasp.
PerfectDark
It’s probably the same thing that keeps two macroscopic objects (that is, you and me) from existing in the same space. After all, large-ish matter is composed of mostly air, right?
Think of it this way: In order for me to be able to walk through a wall, every single individual particle in my being would have to be perfectly lined up with the spaces 'tween the particles in the wall. Since the odds of that happening are next-to-impossible, I can’t walk through a wall.
Similarly, the individual strings of particles would also have to be lined up perfectly in order to “slip into” each other. Since the odds of this happening are… well, you get the idea.
(Note: I am replying to this with only a rudimentary knowledge of Superstring Theory)
SPOOFE macroscopic objects don’t move through each other due to electrostatics of the particles.
What I am asking is 'what stops string(1) from moving next to string(2) within the area of the particle(2) caused by the string(2) and that inturn makes both particles exist in the same point.
PerfectDark
As stated before, IANAP, but…
Surely at least for the supersymetrical theories Pauli repulsion would still hold?
In quantum mechanics, the particle wavefunctions are described by a single equation, rather than a separate equation for each, say, electron. For Fermions, like electrons and quarks, that equation is anti-symmetric with respect to the interchange of two of the particles. Swapping any two electrons changes the sign of the wavefunction. If two fermions have the same state, yet interchanging them changes the sign of the wavefunction, this means the amplitude of the wavefunction is zero (i.e., there really isn’t such a waveform).
For bosons, like photons, the wavefunction is symmetric with respect to the interchange of two particles, so there is no such prohibition.
In other words, two photons (or other bosons) are allowed to be in the same place at the same time. I’m not sure what the implications (if any) of string theory are on the Pauli principle, though.
I don’t think that Superstring theories have any implications on the Pauli principle, as they allow for fermions. However, as bosonic string theories call for strings consisting of bosons and no fermions surely they has rather considerable implications?
Damn, where’s a string theorist when you want one. This is way above my level of knowledge.
Well, I was keeping things simple just because I didn’t know how much you already knew on the subject (I wasn’t in the mood to go into an in-depth description of Physics). Basically, just because there are supposed “gaps”, that doesn’t mean stuff can fit inside.