Laser-Diodes Take the Shine Off Strings

摘要

In this period the Physics Top Ten displays a curious dichotomy between theory and applications. The cluster of papers on string theory (#1, #2, #5, #6, #8, and #9) show physics at the reductionist extreme: the mathematical properties of spaces of 10, 11, and 12 dimensions are marshalled to attack intellectual puzzles in black-hole physics that could scarcely be further from the world on human scales. But meanwhile, other physicists, some of whom even wear lab coats, are reporting spectacular progress on creating new colors for laser-diodes, reported in #3, #4, and #7.