| Subject |
has definition |
|---|
| bosonic string theory | First known string theory; contains vibrational patterns that are all bosons. |
| brane | Any of the extended objects that arise in string theory. A one-brane is a string, a two-brane is a membrane, a three-brane has three extended dimensions, etc. More generally, a p-brane has p spatial dimensions. |
| closed string | A type of string that is in the shape of a loop. |
| open string | A type of string with two free ends. |
| superstring theory | A proposal for the ultimate laws of nature, a "theory of everything," stemming primarily from discoveries in the mid 1980's. The fundamental entity in this theory is an ultramicroscopic string-like object, with a length of typically 10-33 centimeters and effectively zero thickness. At present our understanding of string theory is very limited. The simplest predictions of superstring theory concern processes at the Planck energy, and so far very little is known about the consequences of string theory at lower energies. |
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