Unfortunately I have no reason to trust theories like this anymore. I would think most physicists are embarrassed of string theory (and its brethren) presently.
Large Hadron Collider gets yet more exotic 'to-do' list
Sort:
I quite like the concept. However, I would be more than a little worried of what the addition of a fifth spatial dimension would do to our universe.
Jul 22, 2010
0
#4
Well one thing it could do is unify electromagnetism and gravity. The venerable Kaluza-Klein theory did just this, unifying classical electromagnetism and general relativity perfectly by adding a fifth dimension. People are still trying to make a quantum version of this, and to extend it further. I imagine if ever people get to a genuine unified theory, they may find the fifth dimension in Kaluza-Klein is just one of those that comes from string theory.
Full article here: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=large-hadron-collider-goals
"Landsberg hopes to trump the standard model in grander style. He is presenting an ambitious new theory in which the number of dimensions in the Universe increases as it grows in size. He and his colleagues propose that the Universe began with just one spatial dimension and one time dimension. "Think of the Universe as a one-dimensional thread that gradually wove itself into a two-dimensional tapestry as it grew, and then wrapped itself up further to create three dimensions," he says.
Reducing the spatial dimensions of the early Universe avoids the problems with the standard model, because the unwanted infinities arise only for equations describing three dimensions, says Landsberg. The team has also calculated that a fourth spatial dimension would show up as an intrinsic energy that pushes the three-dimensional Universe outwards. The effect roughly matches the acceleration of cosmic expansion, currently attributed to the mysterious "dark energy." "Dark energy is an echo of the fourth dimension of space," Landsberg argues."