Is each particle associated with an unique string and where exactly is the string located, if it's vibration produces the appearance of a particle? What I mean is if I see an electron, does it have an unique string corresponding to it and where is this string physically (inside the electron or somewhere else)?
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asked Dec 23, 2018 at 17:13
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1$\begingroup$ Possible duplicate: physics.stackexchange.com/q/305760/50583 $\endgroup$– ACuriousMind ♦Commented Dec 23, 2018 at 17:16
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6$\begingroup$ Possible duplicate of How are string vibration modes related to particle identity? $\endgroup$– user59991Commented Dec 23, 2018 at 17:25
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$\begingroup$ I don't think this is a duplicate. If I understand the question correctly it isn't asking about the spectrum of string states and how they correspond to particles, but rather about the correspondence between an individual string and an individual particle. This seems to me a good question as it's far from obvious to me that there is a simple one to one mapping. $\endgroup$– John RennieCommented Dec 26, 2018 at 6:45
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Is each particle associated with an unique string and where exactly is the string located,
At the moment the standard model of particle physics has elementary particles as point particles. The standard model encapsulates the overwhelming majority of data gathered . Going to strings means going up to a dimension for the particle, instead of a point it will be represented by a string.
if it's vibration produces the appearance of a particle?
The vibrations of a string theory which will successfully model elementary particle physics have to include the symmetries of the standard model so that it can be embedded, i.e. that one can make a one to one correspondence of a vibrating string with a specific four momentum vector of the particles in the table.
What I mean is if I see an electron, does it have an unique string corresponding to it
In principle in a successful string model, an electron will be a vibrating string in a model corresponding with its four vector and quantum state. Instead of a point with an accompanying four vector , it will be one dimensional with a four vector and a string vibration signature corresponding to the standard model table.
and where is this string physically (inside the electron or somewhere else)?
Where the model of a point electron is now, the further magnification shows it is a one dimensional string, once a successful string theory becomes the standard model.
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$\begingroup$ So where a standard model particle has a list of quantum numbers (electric charge, lepton number etc) does a string have a "string signature" instead? $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 24, 2018 at 12:51
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$\begingroup$ @jacob1729 No, the same quantum numbers are identified oneto one with vibrational states,afaik. That it is a string and not a point will have to be predictions of a phenomenological ,model ,in measurable distributions or states based on a string theory, which will check the validity of the model. We are not at that stage. Well there are the phenomenological prediction of large extra dimensions ( lots of thermodynamically distributed jets in LHC) which have not been seen yet. $\endgroup$– anna vCommented Dec 24, 2018 at 13:05
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$\begingroup$ Thanks Anna. Just a follow up. I had read that a string is dimensionally much-much smaller than the particles that it corresponds to (electron, proton etc). That's the reason why I asked where is the string? Inside the electron or somewhere else? Any views on this? $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 24, 2018 at 21:59
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$\begingroup$ It is just like looking with a microscope: a dot can be seen to be a cell. At higher and higher energies the point electron has the structure of a vibrating string. $\endgroup$– anna vCommented Dec 25, 2018 at 5:09