Seeking to unite gravity and quantum mechanics

2007/03/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Fisika

Gravity is a great headache for physicists. This force, evident to all, was very well explained by Einstein in the general theory of relativity, but does not correspond to quantum mechanics. There is the question.

Recently 50 physicists have gathered at the University of Arizona to find out where the theory of relativity fails. With this, they may get a slit to develop a theory that combines gravity and quantum mechanics.

There are unifying theories such as string theory, but they need tests that give strength to such theories. However, they expect the latest advances in cosmology to give them a new light.

For example, the temperature maps of microwave background radiation have shown the existence of two opposing forces in the structure of the universe: one drives the association of matter and the other accelerates the expansion of the universe. This, along with other evidence, suggests that there is dark matter and dark energy.

A new theory of gravity should take these forces into account, but experts believe it is not easy to find it. However, they hope that in future experiments some error will be detected in the general theory of relativity, or that some characteristic of dark matter or dark energy will be discovered to allow theorists to solve the problem.

Some of these experiments focus on black holes. Despite not knowing what will be the result of the experiments, physicists are clear that they will continue to work to unite gravity and quantum mechanics.