A unified Theory Of Everything is the holy grail of physics, but gravity refuses to play ball. Now, a newly proposed theory attempts to unify Einstein’s theory of gravity with quantum mechanics – and importantly, outlines a way to test it experimentally.
Over the past century or so, quantum physics has done an excellent job of describing the micro-scale world of particles and atoms. It encompasses three of the four fundamental forces of the universe – electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces. But despite being tackled by some of the brightest minds ever, scientists just can’t bring in that fourth pillar: gravity.
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So far, the most accurate model describing gravity is still Einstein’s theory of general relativity. It states that gravity as we feel and observe it is a kind of side effect of the fabric of spacetime and masses that rest on it. Picture it like a trampoline mat with a bowling ball sitting on it – the weight of the ball creates a dip in the mat. Out in the universe, the “mat” is spacetime and the “bowling ball” is a massive object like a star. If you then put a smaller ball on the mat, it will roll down the dip towards the bigger one, similar to how we experience gravity. Or, if you roll a tennis ball with enough speed it will circle that dip in a way similar to Earth orbiting the Sun.
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