Teorı́a de unificación de campos

Stephanie Roberta Paredes Castro∗

UMSS Departamento de Fı́sica
(Dated: October 5, 2020)
In this article, we will see in detail the different theories and proposals that were given to achieve
the great unification of electromagnetism and gravitational fields and the path that many physicists
followed to correct the different singularities prostrated in these theories. Despite all this until today
it hasn’t been possible to find a total and complete unification theory, the contributions that were
made to physics in the search for the unification theory were very large and gave the basis for new
discoveries.

1. INTRODUCCIÓN by the Japanese physicist J. Ishiwara, that considered the

Throughout physics, theories were developed in a way
that they tried to describe different phenomena of na-
ture apparently independent of each other. In physics,
the forces between objects can be described by the effects
of the ”fields”, the Unified Field Theory is such that it
tries to unify two theories that previously were considered
different, by introducing common principles. The first
great unification of history occurs with the development
of Maxwell’s Theory of Electromagnetic Field,which was
based on Faraday’s work, where Maxwell achieves to
unify the electric and magnetic fields in a single the-
ory. The new theory of electromagnetism, originally in
conflict with Newtonian mechanics, was resolved by Ein-
stein’s theory of relativity. Einstein’s discovery is a gen-
eralization of Newton’s theory as a field theory with rel-
ativistic principles. In his later years Einstein sought, al-
beit unsuccessfully, a theory that unified the electromag-
netic and gravitation interactions. Based on his ideas,
Kaluza and Klein proposed a five-dimensional spacetime
model that unifies gravitation and electromagnetism.
2. ANTECEDENTES
After the development of Maxwell’s theory, there were
further questioning about how to describe the struc-
ture of matter through an electromagnetic theory. In
Maxwell’s equations it is possible to appreciate two very
important elements. On the one hand, the unified fields
and on the other, charges, which are the sources of the
fields and aditionally, currents which constitute matter.
When solving the present singularities, it will be achieved
with a single field theory where it is explained the dy-
namics of electromagnetic fields if not so well the origin
of the mass and its nature. When Einstein insert himself
more in the searching for this unification, he accepted
that Maxwell’s theory will cease to be valid in short dis-
tances or in the presence of strong fields. One of the first
proposals for electro gravitational unification was made
speed of light as a variable in the scalar field, identical
c = φ(x) as the gravitational scalar potential. Another
similar idea was proposed by the Irish physicist Gunner
Nordstrom who was based on a five-dimensional space-
time.
Aµ = (A0 , A1 , A2 , A3 , φ) (1)
where
A0 is a scalar potential
(A1 , A2 , A3 ) are potential vectors of the electromagnetic
field
φ is the gravitational potential
Something very characteristic was that Gunner intro-
duced for the first time an extra dimension that later took
advantage of Kaluza-Klein theories and string theories.
The first truly unified theory was Hilbert’s relativistic
electromagnetism and gravitation theory.
1
Tµv = Fµσ g σγ Fγv − Fµv Fαβ Fσγ g ασ g βγ (2)
4
In this, the electromagnetic field and the gravitational
field come from objects of different nature and they don’t
mix each other under Lorentz transformations. Another
deeper unification theory was made by Rudolf Forster,
his proposal consists of considering the electromagnetic
field and gravitational field as an antisymmetric and sym-
metrical component of the same tensor.
gµv = gµv Fµv (3)
Like Hilbert’s theory, they cannot be considered really
unified since the symmetric or antisymmetric characters
of the metric tensor remain unmixed even after a change
of coordinates.
Three attempts of unification stand out previously to
the one proposed by Einsten, among them are
3. TEORÍAS DE UNIFICACIÓN

After attempts at unification, the proposal by Einstein

∗ Electronic address: namuk_0000@hotmail.com; URL: was previously highlighted. All of them are based on
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modifications of Einstein’s theory of gravitation, among 3.3. Teorı́a afı́n de Eddington

them are:
In the same year, the British physicist Arthur Edding-
ton published a new proposal based on including a sym-
3.1. Teorı́a Conforme de Weyl
metric tensor

Hermann Weyl proposed a unified theory of electro-

magnetism and gravitation that sought to preserve the 1 σρ
Γσµv = σ
g (∂µ gvρ + ∂v gρµ + ∂ρ gµv ) + Sµv
scales of lengths and times. 2
(6)
1 σρ 1 µ
Γσµv v σα
= g (∂µ gvρ +∂v gρµ +∂ρ gµv )+ [δσ Av +δσ Aµ −g gµv Aα ]
2 2
(4)
gµv is the gravitational field
Aµ is the electromagnetic field
In the absence of Aµ , the theory reduces to Einstein’s
σ σ
gravitation theory. Sµv = Svµ
On the other hand, in the absence of gµv the theory is
reduced to Maxwell’s equations. The theory presents a (7)
new gauge symmetry, this formulation has an invariant
of gravitation scale.

gµv ∼ λgµv Aµ ∼ Aµ − ∂µ λ (5) The metric of space-time unification and Einstein grav-
itation is the Ricci tensor and the electromagnetic field
Although the equations unify the electromagnetic and
as its anti-Semitic part
gravitational interactions, we cannot observe the symme-
try scale in nature.
Although Weyl’s theory didn’t solve the problem of 1
gµv = (Rµv − Rvµ )
unification, the discovery of the principle of gauge sym- 2λ
metry is one of the most valued theories in research on
the unification of electromagnetism and gravitation. (8)

3.2. Kaluza-Klein five-dimensional theory

Although Eddington ingenious proposal had no further

The following proposal was given by the Polish math- repercussion, Einstein early work on his unified theory
ematician Theodor Kaluza, he made a formulation radi- addressing this focused type
cally different from Weyl’s, where he takes up the ideas
of Nordstrom, where he conceded that there is one more
dimension in space, but instead of extending the electro- 1
Fµv = (Rµv − Rvµ )
magnetic field to one dimension more, as Nordstrom did, 2
he decided to do it with gravitation
(9)
 
gµv Aµ
gM N = .
Aµ φ
M, N = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4
µ.v = 0, 1, 2, 3
4. EINSTEN UNIFICATION THEORY
Five years later the German physicist Oscar Klein
delved into Kaluzan’s ideas by decomposing the five-
dimensional metric in a slightly different way. Einstein presented his own unified electromagnetism
and gravitation theory in 1928. Einstein’s idea cames
  from the comparison of the parallel transports of the
gµv + φAµ Aµ φAµ
gM N = . Weyl and Riemann theories. Einstein criticizes Weyl for
Aµ φ
preserving neither the angle of the vector nor the mod-
Where Klein states that the removed coordinate is ulus when the electromagnetic field is not annulled, but
cylindrical. With the new interpretation, the theory was instead in Riemman and pseudo-Riemman if the modulus
renamed as Kaluza-Klein. This theory constitutes the is preserved, but he introduces the theory of the parallel
basic ingredient of the current string theories. transport, where the angle and the module are preserved

4 EINSTEN UNIFICATION THEORY 2

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When a new theory called supersymmetry that

hµα
(10)
α = 0, 1, 2, 3 µ = 0, 1, 2, 3
the idea of absolute parallelism or Einstein-Cartan
teleparallelism consists in using connections that preserve
the tangent vector itself, that is, simultaneously its direc-
tion and its modulus, the choice of an orthonormal base
at each point of the tangent space, so that only four co-
ordinates fix a vector at each point in spacetime
equated bosons and fermions appeared, it helped
Coleman-Mandula to incorporate from the gauge prin-
ciple to supersymmetry and originated a new unifying
theory that included gravitation (Supergravity).
The singularity problems of the quantum theory of su-
pergravity caused a deep change of concepts, where the
particle was replaced by the fundamental string.
The singularity problems of the quantum theory of su-
pergravity
Precisely this led to remain in a still unknown state
and with some factors not yet resolved.
6. CONCLUSIONS

• basic field hµα The importance of gauge symmetry, the possible exis-
tence of extra dimensions of space-time, the role of con-
• metrics g uv = hα α
µ hv nections and parallel transport are collateral contribu-
α α
hµ hβ = δαβ tions of the program that are currently considered valu-
able for contemporary physics.
• connection to end Γµv
σ =h
σα
∂v hµα Interestingly, the only proposal that has survived over
the years is Kaluza-Klein, which can be generalized to
• twisting Tσµv = 12 [Γσµv − Γσvµ ] incorporate the new weak and strong gauge interactions
• magnetic field Aµ = Tσµv
From a personal point of view, Einstein got involved in
Despite of Einstein’s strenuous efforts, this proposal unification due to three problems
did not flourish beyond some mathematical circles. How-
• The problem of the singularities of corpuscular
ever, the idea of using the tetrad as a basic element of
matter is still valid.
gravitation allowed later to introduce gravitational inter-
action in relativistic field theories • The problem of unifying all interactions isn’t
solved.

5. UNIFICATION THEORIES AFTER • Quantum theory complicates the unification.

EINSTEIN
The solutions to the different singularities may exceed
the quantum, despite all this, the contributions that were
Both Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrodinger, Pas-
made to physics in the search for the unification theory
cual Jordan or Wolfgang Pauli himself presented propos-
were a lot and they gave the basis for new discoveries.
als that integrated the anomaly that constitutes the rela-
tivistic gravitational field into more general theories that
also included the electromagnetic field.¡
However, with the emergence of quantum physics and
especially with the discovery of new interactions and ele-
mentary particles, the unification program suffered a se-
rious reverse.
New principles and theories had to be accommodated
to describe the phenomena of the subatomic world.
The discovery of the Yang-Mills theory was based on
a generalization of Weyl’s gauge principle.
Mills was slow to recognize that the gauge principle was
a perfect fit for weak and strong nuclear interactions.
The unification of the electroweak to the electromag-
netic theory gave a great impetus to the research for the
unification of the strong to the electroweak interaction.
However, the incorporation of the gravitational inter-
action to the family of interactions still started encoun-
tering the same difficulties as those envisioned by Ein-
stein.

6 CONCLUSIONS 3