Quantum field theory (QFT) and general relativity (GR) stand as the two pillars of modern physics, each describing fundamental interactions with extraordinary precision. QFT accounts for the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces, achieving experimental agreement in quantum electrodynamics to below parts per billion. General relativity describes gravity as the dynamical geometry of spacetime, verified from solar system observations to the LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA gravitational-wave detections and the imaging of the M87 black hole. Yet these theories operate in mutually exclusive regimes: QFT assumes a fixed classical spacetime background, while GR treats spacetime itself as a dynamical degree of freedom subject to fluctuations. This incompatibility reveals that neither framework is fundamental, pointing toward a deeper theory of quantum gravity that must reconcile the quantized fields of the Standard Model with the quantized geometry of spacetime. The present work examines the conceptual and mathematical tensions between these descriptions, reviews the experimental successes that constrain any candidate unification, and outlines the theoretical requirements for a consistent quantum theory of gravity.
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Francesco Mappa (2026) studied this question.
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