The question of whether a new form of physics is required to combine quantum theory and general relativity is still a subject of active research and debate within the scientific community. there is currently no widely accepted theory that successfully unifies these two fundamental theories.
Quantum theory and general relativity are both highly successful frameworks that describe the behavior of the universe at different scales. However, they are based on different principles and mathematical frameworks, and attempts to merge them into a single, coherent theory have encountered significant challenges. The two theories make different assumptions about the nature of reality and have different mathematical structures, making their unification a non-trivial task.
The primary obstacle in combining quantum theory and general relativity lies in the conceptual and mathematical incompatibilities between the two theories. General relativity provides a description of gravity as the curvature of spacetime, while quantum theory describes the behavior of particles and fields on a microscopic scale. Attempts to quantize gravity (i.e., describe gravity within the framework of quantum theory) have encountered various difficulties, such as the emergence of infinities in calculations and the lack of a consistent mathematical framework.
Numerous theoretical approaches have been proposed to reconcile quantum theory and general relativity, such as string theory, loop quantum gravity, and various other quantum gravity models. These approaches aim to provide a framework that can describe phenomena at both the microscopic and macroscopic scales. However, none of these theories has yet been experimentally confirmed or widely accepted as a definitive solution.
In summary, while the search for a theory that unifies quantum theory and general relativity is ongoing, there is currently no consensus on whether a completely new form of physics will be necessary or if modifications to existing theories will be sufficient. It is an area of active research that continues to challenge physicists, and future advancements in both theoretical understanding and experimental observations may shed more light on this fascinating topic.