Professor M. Kaku in a Discussion in Vilnius University: Physics is Approaching a Crisis

On 7 September, students and researchers from Vilnius University (VU) had the opportunity to meet Michio Kaku, a modern physics icon, futurist and science populariser, bestselling author, co-founder of String theory, and a professor of theoretical physics in the City College of New York and CUNY Graduate Centre. Professor Kaku shared facts about his academic career, touched on topics such as climate change, artificial intelligence, alternative physics, string theory, and loop quantum gravity, and answered questions from students.

"Today, Prof. M. Kaku is one of the world's most widely recognized scientists and has inspired generations of physicists to choose physics. His charisma and ability to elegantly explain the most complex theories fascinate not only scientists but also society in general", says Dr. Mažena Mackoit-Sinkevičienė, initiator and moderator of the discussion and a researcher at the Faculty of Physics of Vilnius University.

Einstein's unfinished Unified Field Theory – An Infinite Inspiration Source

During a meeting with students, Prof. M. Kaku revealed that Albert Einstein was the starting point of his own path in science: "I was eight years old when the great scientist died. The newspapers printed a picture of an unfinished manuscript lying on his desk with a caption: 'The greatest scientist of our time failed to finish his book. In the library, I found out that the man was Einstein, and the book was the unfinished Unified Field Theory of Everything. A short equation that can summarise the laws of the universe. I decided to dedicate my life to it."

In addition to his ambition to complete the unified field theory, Prof. M. Kaku has a range of other interests. A large part of this involves predicting trends affecting business, medicine, finance, and our way of life. He is also working to prove the famous String Theory.

"Physical science is approaching a crisis in a sense. We have become too successful. So successful that we have a theory that explains almost everything. That is the Standard Model. But it has a problem because it explains elementary particles, and what's next? According to Einstein, nature only shows us the tail of the lion, which is what the Standard Model would do. But what is the lion?", – asked Prof. M. Kaku rhetorically during the debate.
He says the laws of the universe as we know them – the theory of almost everything – can be written down on a single sheet of paper. One line contains Einstein's general principle of relativity, followed by a few more lines for the standard model. The problem is that these two theories hate each other and are based on different laws and mathematics.

"That's why I'm interested in finding the metaphorical umbilical cord between our infant universe when it was born out of a possible multiverse and writing a balanced account of the physics community's quest to prove string theory. And to solve the problem: to combine the chaotic theory of relativity with the imperfect standard model of subatomic particles into one elegant theory of everything," – the professor explained.
When Will the Theory of Everything be Proven and How to Verify It?

People often forget that experiments are not executed directly. How do we know that the Sun is made of hydrogen? What does a DNA molecule look like? Nobody has been to the Sun; nobody has seen this molecule up close. These discoveries were made, and then the definitions were developed in laboratories," says Prof. Kaku.

According to Professor, in order to answer the scientific questions, scientists do not need a particle accelerator the size of a Milky Way. Some of the answers lie among us, and it is only a matter of time before they are discovered. An explanation could lie in the dark matter, made up of particles unknown to us. In the whole universe, only 10-20% of objects are thought to be made up of particles we know, while 80-90% are dark matter. Thus, most of the universe is invisible, even though it is known to exist since we can detect its gravitational effects.

"So far, the leading candidate to explain the nature of dark matter is the photino, the photon's super-partner predicted by string theory. Where to find it? Spark cameras in research centers could pick it up. So we can expect discoveries about the dark matter anytime now," – predicts the professor.

Cosmic Opportunities and Earthly Concerns

In response to a question about the possibility of intelligent life on the other side of the Universe, Prof Kaku says: "We know of five thousand planets orbiting other stars. Around a fifth of them are similar to Earth. That means there are billions of stars in our galaxy, with one or more planets orbiting each one on average."

Therefore, the probability of life existing in the universe without us is close to 100%. Meanwhile, intelligent life forms can be imagined if they are under evolutionary pressure, according to Prof M. Kaku.

"Another question is why they do not visit us. Or do they without us knowing? Sometimes I get e-mails that say, 'Professor, the aliens are not "out there". They are here on Earth. When I ask them how they know, I hear stories about flying saucers that have abducted them. Here I have a word of advice: the next time you find yourself inside a flying saucer, steal something, at least a paper clip," – jokes Prof M. Kaku.

On a sizzling topic of climate change, the professor wishes it is still possible to outplay global warming. However, he sees nuclear fusion as a great hope for the future of energy. This process is similar to the energy produced in the depths of the Sun. It is a lesser-known reaction, the opposite of nuclear fission, which occurs when two atoms fuse into a heavier atom and release energy.

Prof M. Kaku answered these and other questions from the audience during the event. A few question authors were awarded an autographed copy of prof. Kaku's book "The God Equation".

Prof. Kaku has written five books on The New York Times bestseller list. Including “The God Equation”, “The Future of Humanity”, which foresees the space program's future in terms of centuries rather than decades, and “The Future of the Mind”. Also, “Physics of the Future” and “Physics of the Impossible”, among others.