https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-024-00069-4
Regular Article
The quantum theory of gravitation, effective field theories, and strings: yesterday and today
1
Theoretische Natuurkunde and Applied Physics Research Group (APHY), Vrije Universiteit Brussels (VUB) and Solvay Institutes, Pleinlaan 2, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
2
Department of Physics and Astronomy, KU Leuven, Box 2415, Celestijnenlaan 200d, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
Received:
25
July
2023
Accepted:
1
March
2024
Published online:
23
April
2024
This paper analyzes the effective field theory perspective on modern physics through the lens of the quantum theory of gravitational interaction. The historical part argues that the search for a theory of quantum gravity stimulated the change in outlook that characterizes the modern approach to the standard model of particle physics and general relativity. We present some landmarks covering a long period, i.e., from the beginning of the 1930s until 1994, when, according to Steven Weinberg, the modern bottom–up approach to general relativity began. Starting from the first attempt to apply the quantum field theory techniques to quantize Einstein’s theory perturbatively, we explore its developments and interaction with the top–down approach encoded by string theory. In the last part of the paper, we focus on this last approach to describe the relationship between our modern understanding of string theory and effective field theory in today’s panorama. To this end, the non-historical part briefly explains the modern concepts of moduli stabilization and Swampland to understand another change in focus that explains the present framework where some string theorists move.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
