From The Royal Institution.
Could string theory be the key to unifying modern physics?
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This lecture was recorded at the Ri on the 7 September 2024.
20th-century theoretical physics achieved extraordinary results. From quantum field theory providing a framework for elementary particle interactions, to general relativity modelling space-time, these theories should be able to capture all the physical phenomena we observe in laboratories. But this is not the case. Join physicist Davide de Biasio to discover how, when combined, these theories are not only contradictory but incompatible.
Of all the possible solutions proposed by physicists to unify these theories, the most viable so far is string theory, which assumes that everything emerges from the vibrations of microscopic, one-dimensional objects. Starting from its origin and progressing to the exciting developments of the last decades, Davide will explore the features and success, problems and ambitions of one of the most bizarre ideas in the history of science.
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Davide De Biasio received his PhD in theoretical physics from the Max Planck Institute for Physics, where he studied black holes, string theory and the enigmas of quantum space-time. Today, he devotes himself to science communication – both in English and Italian. He writes and performs science-themed monologues, bringing them to theatres, schools and research institutes, and runs the YouTube popularisation project ‘Spazi Attorcigliati’. He’s part of the outreach team of the International Society for Quantum Gravity and co-produced, with Roberto Mercadini, the Audible podcast ‘Il giro della fisica in 12 mondi’.
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