New Newspaper Claims String Theory Tin Travel Tested Alongside Bose-Einstein-Condensates

Fluorescence picture of
Bose-Einstein-Condensate.
Image Credits: Stefan Kuhr together with
Immanuel Bloch, MPQ

String theory is infamously detached from experiment. But inwards a novel paper, a grouping from United Mexican US seat forrad a proposal to alter that

String theory phenomenology together with quantum many–body systems
Sergio Gutiérrez, Abel Camacho, Héctor Hernández
arXiv:1707.07757 [gr-qc]

Ahead, allow me endure clear they don’t desire to show string theory, but the presence of additional dimensions of space, which is a prediction of string theory.

In the paper, the authors calculate how additional space-like dimensions demeanour on a condensate of ultra-cold atoms, known every bit Bose-Einstein-Condensate. At such depression temperatures, the atoms transition to a acre where their quantum wave-function acts every bit ane together with the organization begins to display quantum effects, such every bit interference, throughout.

In the presence of extra-dimensions, every particle’s wave-function has higher harmonics because the extra-dimensions convey to unopen up, inwards the simplest illustration similar circles. The particle’s wave-functions convey to jibe into the extra dimensions, pregnant their wave-length must endure an integer fraction of the radius.

Each of the additional dimensions has a radius of most a Planck length, which is 10^-35m or xv orders of magnitude smaller than what fifty-fifty the LHC tin probe. To excite these higher harmonics, you lot correspondingly require an unloosen energy of 10¹⁵ TeV, or xv orders of magnitude higher than what the LHC tin produce.

How hit the extra-dimensions of string theory demeanour on the ultra-cold condensate? They don’t. That’s because at those depression temperatures at that spot is no means you lot tin excite whatever of the higher harmonics. Heck, fifty-fifty the total unloosen energy of the condensates soon used isn’t high enough. There’s a argue string theory is famously detached from experiment – because it’s a damned high unloosen energy you lot must achieve to come across stringy effects!

So what’s the proposal inwards the newspaper then? There isn’t one. They only ignore that the higher harmonics can’t endure excited together with brand a calculation. Then they gauge that ane needs a condensate of most a one thousand particles to mensurate a discontinuity inwards the specific heat, which depends on the divulge of extra-dimensions.

It’s likely right that this discontinuity depends on the divulge of extra-dimensions. Unfortunately the authors don’t come about dorsum together with banking corporation check what’s the majority per particle inwards the condensate that’s needed to brand this work. I’ve seat inwards the numbers together with larn something similar a meg tons. That gigantic majority becomes necessary because it has to combine amongst the miniscule temperature of most a nano-Kelvin to convey a geometric hateful that exceeds the Planck mass.

In summary: Sorry, but nobody’s going to show string theory amongst Bose-Einstein-Condensates.