^{A close-up of the E_8.The E₈visualisation was generated by John Stembridge, who based his computer generation code on a hand-drawn E₈ system by Peter McMullen in the 1960s.}

The Chinscratcher Award for “The Sexiest Mathematic Theory Of 2007″ goes to…“The E₈ Root System”

The E₈ is a 248 dimensional Lie algebra, and you can find out what that means here, or you can watch this colorful video:

Why did the E₈ get the award? First of all, the E₈ Root System is related to the “Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything” by A. Garrett Lisi. The name of this theory alone brought a glint of envy to my eye. But when it was linked to the exceptionally complex vector drawing above, the sexiest of this theory increased by a power of eight. You can enjoy the E₈ diagram in all its glory by downloading as a PDF file.The E₈ calculation is actually 60 gigabytes in size. Here’s a synopsis of the theory:

All fields of the standard model and gravity are unified as an E8 principal bundle connection. A non-compact real form of the E8 Lie algebra has G2 and F4 subalgebras which break down to strong su(3), electroweak su(2) x u(1), gravitational so(3,1), the frame-Higgs, and three generations of fermions related by triality. The interactions and dynamics of these 1-form and Grassmann valued parts of an E8 superconnection are described by the curvature and action over a four dimensional base manifold.

But perhaps even more interesting than the theory itself, are the people who brought this calculation to life. Their work required a mix of theoretical mathematics and intricate computer programming. They worked on the calculation for four years.

Click on the image above to see the full-size photo. When I look at this photo, one thing I note right away is their feet. If I”m ever trying to hire a mathematician, I’ll just stoop and look under the desk at her feet. If she’s wearing sandals and socks, I’ll hire her on the spot.

^{A close-up of the E₈ group’s extensive use of socks and sandals.}

The other thing I’m pretty sure about is this fellow masterminded most of the E₈ complexity:

I am also compelled to postulate that this photo can be analyzed using E₈ principles. There is a define balance between the two sides of mathematicians, for example the professor on the right withe the blue shirt and very high pants, is probably a direct rival to the fellow in shorts on the left. Truly, there are multitudinous E₈ levels that can be explored within this photograph.