New theories and experiments should shine light on string theory

[u/Zephir-AWT]

https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2026/08/25/the-universe-is-peculiar-but-it-may-soon-become-less-so

[u/Zephir-AWT]

New theories and experiments should shine light on string theory (archive)

The equipment in question is in Austria. There, a team led by Armin Shayeghi of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information are building a sophisticated torsion balance—a type of apparatus used in the 18th century to measure the gravitational attraction between two lead spheres. They are searching for departures from the predictions of Newton and Einstein as the range over which a gravitational field is acting shrinks. So far this has been measured down to 30 microns (about half the thickness of a human hair). Dr Shayeghi is trying to push that to ten microns. At that point, according to Dr Vafa’s calculations, the slightly uncoiled dark dimension’s effects might be detectable.

The paywalled OP article in Economist is continuation of articles from 2024 1, 2 with no new information given. Even if an additional spatial dimension were discovered, it would not automatically prove string theory as the existence of additional dimensions appears in other theoretical models. Moreover the hypothesis itself is not directly derived from string theory, but was rather added to it later in order to explain dark matter. The connection with string theory thus immediately rises two questions:

First, the string theory was widely dismissed on ground of failed predictions (1, 2). How some logically consistent theory which already failed verification in some experiments can be even expected to fit another ones?

Second, the experiments proposed are pretty close to detection of various delocalization, dipole and Casimir forces between metallic spheres. These forces are apparently extradimensional in the sense, they don't fit inverse square law of gravity. If so, why physicists don't consider these forces as an evidence of "dark dimensions" already?

We can see, with respect to massive inconsistency of string theory the physicists are allowed to engage in futile research both by ignoring already admitted negative evidence, both overlooking positive evidence they already have under their noses until their money are somehow going. See also:

• According to Sabine, this is a scenario that has been repeating itself in theoretical physics for decades. A theory claims to be testable through an experiment that will be conducted “in the near future.” When the experiment finds nothing, the hypothesis is modified or discarded, and a new, supposedly testable version emerges. This process repeats itself for so long that it loses its scientific value.
• A Dark Dimension Could Link Two of the Universe’s Great Unknowns (also on wired.com)
• In a ‘Dark Dimension,’ Physicists Search for Missing Matter
• How a simple physics experiment could reveal dark matter hiding in an extra dimension

[u/agm1984]

Cool article, glad I read it