RealAwareness
Rising Star
Superstring and Supersymmetry theories are still very much tentative - there is, as yet, no experimental evidence to prove them, though they are elegant. In particular, Supersymmetry, which posits a super-particle for all known particles in the Standard Model, has yet to demonstrate the actual existence of any of the supposed "sparticles" (a quark has a squark, an electron a selectron, photons - photinos, etc). While defenders will argue that we have, indeed, found half of the particles required by Supersymmetry (the half we know about and can actually see), still, there remains producing actual experimental evidence of the other half to give these theories more than speculative weight.
That may happen - if these theories are correct, than the new supercolliders should be able to demonstrate their existence. If they do, Supersymmetry will indeed supplant the Standard Model, and give us a Grand Unified Theory to boot. The cool thing about Supersymmetry is that it works with or without string theory, it can go, oddly enough, out to 11 dimensions, but only requires 4.
It's not quite accurate to state that Quantum Physics supplants Relativity - both are true, yet incomplete in themselves. Quantum Gravity is an attempt, so far unsuccessful, to unite the two. If Supersymmetry pans out, it will achieve this, and we will have achieved the Holy Grail of Physics. Keep your fingers crossed!
That may happen - if these theories are correct, than the new supercolliders should be able to demonstrate their existence. If they do, Supersymmetry will indeed supplant the Standard Model, and give us a Grand Unified Theory to boot. The cool thing about Supersymmetry is that it works with or without string theory, it can go, oddly enough, out to 11 dimensions, but only requires 4.
It's not quite accurate to state that Quantum Physics supplants Relativity - both are true, yet incomplete in themselves. Quantum Gravity is an attempt, so far unsuccessful, to unite the two. If Supersymmetry pans out, it will achieve this, and we will have achieved the Holy Grail of Physics. Keep your fingers crossed!