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Collaborative physics: String theory finds a bench mate

The exotic theory of everything could shed light on the behaviour of real materials, thanks to an unexpected mathematical connection with condensed-matter physics.

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Zeeya Merali is a freelance writer based in London.

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Jan Zaanen

Subir Sachdev

Jerome Gauntlett

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Merali, Z. Collaborative physics: String theory finds a bench mate. Nature 478, 302–304 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/478302a

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