If we want to find additional dimensions in our Universe, that is, the existence of which the so-called string theory is trying to explain to us, then we should turn our attention to gravitational waves. Because they can be the key to their discovery, physicists say.
This is how you can briefly describe the idea of a new hypothesis that tries to find an answer to the unsolved mystery of physics: why is gravity in fact weaker than other fundamental forces of our universe? According to the new hypothesis, the "leak" of gravity leads just to other dimensions that we have yet to discover.
“The possibility of other dimensions has been discussed for quite some time and from completely different points of view,” says Emilian Dudas of the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris.
"Gravitational waves, in turn, could be the key to discovering these extra dimensions."
The idea of four dimensions is now widely accepted - three spatial (length, width, height) and one temporal (time). However, our knowledge of how matter behaves at the smallest scales contains many gaps that an additional six dimensions could fill. This is the opinion of String Theory, according to which everything in the Universe could be much easier to understand and explain if we agreed with the idea of the existence of 10 dimensions. In addition, String Theory is seen as the most likely way to finally bridge the gap between classical and quantum physics, becoming the foundation for the future theory of quantum gravity.
According to this theory, the smallest particles of matter that we can detect, quarks, can actually be made up of even smaller particles - one-dimensional fibers of energy that behave like vibrating strings. Scientists are very interested in these "strings" for one simple reason. It is believed that they will be able to do what our modern physics is not able to do, namely, to accurately describe all the most fundamental forces known to us, including gravity, electromagnetism and nuclear forces. They can also help us understand why the universe is still expanding. However, the main (and perhaps the only significant) problem is that they (strings) require at least 10 dimensions for their mathematical justification. And the trouble is that we haven't even gotten close toto open a single additional one.
Nevertheless, physicists Gustavo Lucena-Gomez and David Andriot of the Max Planck Institute for Physics in Germany are convinced that we have hope for the discovery of these extra dimensions. And this hope is the gravitational waves predicted long ago by the great Einstein and only recently confirmed by modern scientists.
Gravitational waves became one of the hottest topics of the past year, when physicists at LIGO - two giant observatories located in the US states of Louisiana and California - announced for the first time that they had discovered direct evidence for the existence of the so-called ripples of space-time, which is about 100 years ago predicted by Einstein. These waves travel through spacetime at the speed of light and are the result of some of the most catastrophic events in the universe, such as merging black holes or exploding stars. They are able to pass and thereby affect all dimensions known to us in the Universe and, most likely, even those that we are not yet able to detect.
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“If there are additional dimensions in the universe, then it would be logical to assume that gravitational waves will exist in all these dimensions,” comments Gomez.
Gomez and Andriot developed a mathematical model describing the supposed effects of gravitational waves on measurements and identified two key factors. First, according to the researchers, extra dimensions can manifest themselves thanks to high-frequency gravitational waves. Second, in different dimensions, gravitational waves should have different effects on the stretching of the "tissue" of the Universe.
According to the researchers, in the first case, detection would require equipment that is thousands of times more sensitive than that of the same LIGO.
“We have not yet encountered astrophysical processes that create gravitational waves with a frequency much higher than 1000 Hz, therefore, with an appropriate super-powerful and sensitive detector, we would immediately understand what we are witnessing. Determination of frequencies of such a level could hint at the discovery of new physics."
And the second case will require physicists to study anomalous changes in the impact on space-time of "ordinary gravitational waves" (that is, those that we can determine now) and those that would have had gravitational waves from other dimensions.
"The deformation of space-time would be presented in a certain, distinctive form," - say the scientists.
Newsweek science columnist Hannah Osborne is more optimistic about the possibility of detecting additional dimensions through their influence on gravitational waves. In her opinion, a detector with the sensitivity level of three LIGO laboratories at once will be required, working as a whole. Osborne believes that "such technologies will become available in the near future."
The existence of other dimensions may be the very answer of modern physics, which scientists have been searching for so long and persistently. Other measurements could lead to the creation of a unified theory of the universe, which would reconcile quantum field theory with general principles of relativity.
The opinion about the likelihood of the existence of extra dimensions is shared by many scientists. For example, theoretical physicist Bobby Acharia from King's College London believes that the universe is much more complex than it seems at first glance, and anything can hide in it. He believes in additional dimensions, but is well aware that the current level of technology does not allow them to be discovered.
“To create and redistribute gravitational waves into other dimensions, you will need a colossal amount of energy. Even if you manage to create waves that seep into other dimensions, the scale will be so small that the frequency of gravitational waves in this case will be very high, much higher than the current detection capabilities of the LIGO gravitational wave detector."
NIKOLAY KHIZHNYAK