SUPERSTRING

noun (Science and Technology) In physics, the form taken by sub-atomic particles according to superstring theory, a theory devised to account for the interactions of particles by viewing them as one-dimensional objects resembling tiny pieces of string. Etymology: Formed by adding the prefix super- in the sense 'supersymmetric' to string (see below). History and Usage: Quantum theory and general relativity are two major developments which have taken place in physics this century: the former enables us to see particles and waves as different aspects of the same entity, while the latter paved the way for such concepts as black holes and the curvature of space-time. However, theoretical physicists found considerable difficulty in reconciling the two theories to produce a unified theory of quantum gravity (so called because the explanation of gravity is a central aspect of the theory). Most current models of the nature of the elementary particles which make up the universe supplement the familiar four dimensions of space and time with up to seven other (not directly observable) dimensions: one way of simplifying the resulting complexity is to view different particles as in some sense derived from the same superparticle--a proposal known as supersymmetry. Some of the other inconsistencies of unified models can be eliminated by replacing points in space-time conceptually by 'loops' or short 'lengths' of 'string', likewise observable only in more than four dimensions (some theories postulate as many as 26). In 1982 a way of combining these two approaches was developed which became known as superstring theory. Its acceptability as a possible TOE ('theory of everything') remains debatable, but its possibilities in this direction have fascinated physicists for most of the past decade. Superstrings are entities in ten dimensions (nine space-like, one time-like) which are expected to behave like ordinary particles when the ten dimensions are collapsed to four. Nature 3 Jan. 1985, p. 9 Michael Green...won the honour for his work on superstring theory. He is one of those who believe that everything in the cosmos...is made of these incredibly tiny objects. Daily Telegraph 20 Mar. 1989, p. 23