Old Puzzles

TL;DR

This paper reviews progress in fundamental physics, discusses current limitations in superstring theory, and proposes a potential solution predicting light gravitinos and dilatons to address supersymmetry breaking and the cosmological constant problem.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to supersymmetry breaking that predicts ultra-light gravitinos and dilatons, offering a possible way forward in fundamental physics.

Findings

Current understanding of superstring theory faces key challenges.

Proposed solution predicts gravitinos and dilatons with milli-eV masses.

Addresses the cosmological constant problem with a new perspective.

Abstract

In this talk I first briefly review how far we have come in answering old questions about the most fundamental building blocks of matter. I begin with things we know, which is the Standard Model, and then talk about things we can guess, which is superstring theory. After this review I discuss a key point at which our understanding of superstring theory presently stops: the problem of supersymmetry breaking and the cosmological constant. I explain in which direction I imagine a way out. This way out predicts gravitinos and dilatons with masses of order milli-eV.