Pythagorean Longings and Cosmic Symphonies:  The Musical Rhetoric of String Theory and the Sonification of Particle Physics

Peter Pesic

About this exposition

String theory posits very small “strings” whose various modes of vibration produce the observed particles and forces of nature, often described through analogies with music, especially Pythagorean harmonies. We analyze the rationales and implications for enlisting this archaic lore to explain such a modern theory, especially factors connecting internal and external aspects of scientific research: the economic pressure to promote a promising but unproven theory, the quasi-religious appeal of Pythagorean teachings and their consequent aesthetics of the “beautiful theory.” In contrast, sonifications of high energy physics data from the LHC seems to refer more to contemporary music than the “cosmic music” pioneered by Beethoven and carried forward by Stravinsky and Schoenberg.

type	research exposition
date	26/11/2014
published	02/12/2014
last modified	02/12/2014
status	published
share status	private
license	All rights reserved
url	https://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/109371/109372
doi	https://doi.org/10.22501/JSS.109371
published in	Journal of Sonic Studies
portal issue	08. Issue 8

name	Figure 5
copyright	Peter Pesic
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Figure 4b
copyright	Peter Pesic
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name	Figure 4a
copyright	Peter Pesic
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name	Figure 3
copyright	Peter Pesic
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usages	picture

name	Fig-6b-atlas_higgs_score
copyright	Domenica Vicinanza
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Higgs Boson data.
copyright	CERN
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Fig-2-violin-parker1987
copyright	Parker
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Marin Mersenne's diagram of the cosmic monochord
copyright	Mersenne
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	Robert Fludd's diagram of the cosmis monochord
copyright	Fludd
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	sonicstudies-banner-964-3
copyright	Mannschaft
license	All rights reserved
usages	picture

name	What is Superstring Theory? Talk Nerdy to me.
copyright	Huffpost Science 2012.
license	All rights reserved
usages	video

name	Michio Kaku: The Universe is a Symphony of Vibrating Strings
copyright	Big Think 2011
license	All rights reserved
usages	video

name	The Elegant Universe Part 3: Welcome to the Eleventh Dimension
copyright	PBS
license	All rights reserved
usages	video

name	To Quark Jet sonification, from LHCSounds
copyright	Lily Asquith and LHCSounds
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	SoundObject 11, HiggsJetSimple Sonification
copyright	Lily Asguith and LHCSound
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	SoundObject 10: Event Monitor sonification, from LHC sounds.
copyright	Lily Asquith and LHC Sound
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Sonification of Higgs data, Concert Version
copyright	Domenico Vicinanca
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Sonification of Higgs Data for piano and marimba
copyright	Domenica Vicinanza
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Sonification of Higgs data for piano solo
copyright	Domenica Vicinanca
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Schoenberg - String Quartet no. 2
copyright	Schoenberg
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Stravinsky - Le sacre du printemps
copyright	Stravinsky
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Beethoven - Symphony 9, fourth movement
copyright	Beethoven
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Iannis Xenakis - Pithoprakta
copyright	Xenakis
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	Stockhausen - Klavierstuck XI
copyright	Karlheinz Stockhausen
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

name	John Cage - Music of Changes
copyright	John Cage
license	All rights reserved
usages	audio

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Pythagorean Longings and Cosmic Symphonies: The Musical Rhetoric of String Theory and the Sonification of Particle Physics (2014)

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