The Grand Unified Theory Was Proposed In 1974

Fact of the day: The Grand Unified Theory was proposed in 1974.

Before 10-43 seconds into the life of the universe, the current laws of physics did not apply. There is a theory (that has been partially proven) that the four fundamental forces, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, the weak nuclear force, and gravity, combined into one super force.

The Grand Unified Theory (GUT) states that the electromagnetic force, and the weak and strong nuclear forces combined just after the Big Bang.
A theory that includes gravity as well is called a Theory Of Everything (TOE), as it would explain everything, but finding a TOE that is easy to prove is incredibly hard, as gravity is very different from the other forces, as it does not have a boson that is proven to exist. String Theory is a not yet definitive theory, but could certainly be a contender for a TOE.

The GUT theory has only been partially proven, as at extremely high energies (like that just after the Big Bang) the electromagnetic force combines with the weak nuclear force to become the 'electroweak' force. This theory is being tested in the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, where they create energy and density states that are so high, that the quarks in protons and neutrons split apart to form a state of matter called a quark-gluon plasma, and are very close to the conditions just after the Big Bang.


ALICE Detector at the Large Hadron Collider.

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