1 Inflation: 50% (other possibilities)

1 Inflation – 80% (observation support, although it is not the only solution)
2 Supersymmetry – 8% (little evidence until now)
3 String theory – 1% (no evidence, hard to be tested)
4 Some form of Higgs boson – 80% (“some form” is broad)
5 Large extra dimensions – 5% (no evidence)
6 WIMP dark matter -90% (observation supports that they may exist in some form)
7 Any non-cosmological-constant explanation for cosmic acceleration – 50% (maybe yes,maybe no)

Let’s start small and with impending evidence: I doubt the LHC will find evidence of the Higgs, and will thus set off a golden age of theoretical physics as the Standard Model is ripped to shreds.

Don’t take me for a creationist, though. The very fact that the Standard Model exists proves that humans can conceptualize beginnings without mysticism. Rock on, physicists who are smarter than me.

2. Supersymmetry – 70% (in some form)

3. String theory – 80% (even if strings/branes are not “fundamental” but resonances of swarms of dissipating/regenerating “4-atoms” a la Anastassov & Petkov [see "What is the Electron?", V Simulik ed, 2005] )

4. Some form of Higgs boson – 1% (hope not, or I lose a $500 bet with a well-known string theorist )

5. Large extra dimensions – 1% (their effects would have been observed by now)

6. WIMP dark matter – 1%

7. Non-CC explanation for cosmic acceleration –90% (in that a number on its own is not a satisfactory explanation, as others above have pointed out)

1. Inflation – 30%
2. Supersymmetry – 60%
3. String theory – 50%
4. Some form of Higgs boson – 80%
5. Large extra dimensions – 1%
6. WIMP dark matter – 60%
7. Any non-cosmological-constant explanation for cosmic acceleration – 5%

Professor of cosmology, and textbook author.

To TRM (item 126), I wonder if John (item18) is John Moffat (and John’s book was interesting)

1. Inflation – 30%
2. Supersymmetry – 50%
3. String theory – 10%
4. Some form of Higgs boson – 80%
5. Large extra dimensions – 0%
6. WIMP dark matter – 50%
7. Any non-cosmological-constant explanation for cosmic acceleration – 0%

1. Inflation – 66%
2. Supersymmetry – 60%
3. String theory – 33%
4. Some form of Higgs boson – 55%
5. Large extra dimensions – 5%
6. WIMP dark matter – 5% I hate the idea of dark matter of all types
7. Any non-cosmological-constant explanation for cosmic acceleration – 15%

Question – are not inflation and string theory (in the form of M Theory and the hypothesis of an ekpyrotic universe) mutually exclusive?

1.Cosmic inflation 0% – A new constant velocity solution for gravity perhaps
2.Supersymmetry 0% – Watch Olympic diving, easy to have multiple types of spin in one body
3.String theory 0% – Not a theory, an area of study that is not relevant to 3D space + scalar time
4.Higgs boson of any type 0% – find out in a few years, http://bit.ly/GEMtshirt says no stinkin Higgs
5.Large extra dimensions 0% – 3D space + time is MUCH richer than it is given credit
6.WIMP dark matter 0% – see 1, same solution would apply
7.Explanations of accelerated expansion not based on the cosmological constant 0% – GR is good, and will be replaced by something better, a variation on the only field theory better than GR, that of Maxwell.