From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Elegant Universe. Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory | |
| Author | Brian Greene |
|---|---|
| Genre | popular science literature |
| Original language | english |
| Original published | |
| Interpreter | LKI Publishing House |
| Registration | LKI Publishing House |
| Publisher | LKI Publishing House |
| Release | 2008 |
| Pages | 288 |
| ISBN | |
| Next | The fabric of the cosmos |
Elegant Universe. Superstrings, hidden dimensions and the quest for the ultimate theory - the bestselling book by American physicist and popularizer of science Brian Green about string theory and M-theory. The book is a Pulitzer Prize finalist for non-fiction and a recipient of The Aventis Prizes for Science Books in 2000.
The audience
A wide range of readers interested in the fundamental structure of the Universe and the latest scientific discoveries in this region. Suitable for a reader inexperienced in physics. There is not a single formula in the book, and the author tries to describe the mathematical abstractions used in a clear and consistent language.
Part 1. At the forefront of knowledge
The introductory part of the book provides an introduction to the problem of constructing a Unified Theory of Everything on the present stage advances in science, and how string theory can, in principle, help build that theory.
Part 2. The dilemma of space, time and quanta
This part of the book tells about two fundamental theories of the structure of our world - general relativity and quantum mechanics. The evolution of understanding of the nature of the speed of light and gravity is described. At the end of the chapter, the incompatibility of general relativity and quantum mechanics is shown and the need to search for a new Unified Theory of Everything, in which both of the above theories would be only special cases, approximate models that work well only in their field of application: the theory of relativity for macroobjects, quantum mechanics - for quantum objects.
Part 3. Space Symphony
With this chapter, the author begins to describe the essence of string theory. A definition of the concept of supersymmetry is given, it is shown that the presence of hidden spatial dimensions is necessary for string theory. At the end of the chapter, the author talks about the difficulties of setting up a crucial experiment that would prove or disprove string theory.
Part 4. String theory and structure of space-time
In the most capacious chapter, the author delves into the problems of string theory, shows the solutions that she offers for cosmology and for explaining the phenomenon of black holes. The definition of M-theory is introduced.
Part 5. A unified theory in the XXI century
In the final part, some assumptions are made about the further development of string theory.
End of the book
To help an inexperienced reader in physics, at the very end there is a dictionary of terms used in the book, subject and name indexes, as well as a list of literature recommended for reading on this topic.
Brian Greene
An Elegant Universe (Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory)
Green touches on an amazing number of topics, presenting them in simple and clear language without mathematical calculations and technical details ... This is an example of scientific storytelling ... It is difficult not to get infected at least partly by his enthusiasm and excitement.
The Philadelphia Inquirer
IN the highest degree an exciting book ... a tremendous success ... Greene laid out string theory in an accessible and non-formal way; explained why strings are so inspiring for their followers. Green's credit is that we felt comfortable in the cold, abstract world of strings, and he convinced us that this world must be taken seriously.
Sunday Telegraph (London)
Greene writes clearly and energetically, talentedly finding lively, often hilarious images for abstract scientific principles. He writes with the passion of someone eager to prove the truth of superstring theory because he is inspired by its beauty.
Chicago Tribune
Scientific american
String theory is the most exciting idea since Stephen Hawking looked inside black holes. Green puts it in such a way that everyone can understand it.
San francisco chronicle
Greene has done an excellent job of putting the idea of \u200b\u200bstring theory into plain language. This is a strikingly clear and well-written account of the amazing implications for the structure of spacetime that follow from theory.
Great book. Greene brought the exciting idea of \u200b\u200bscientific research into real life.
Brian Green's book is the most recent string (sorry!) Stephen Hawking originally made to sound, and the best, too.
London morning star
Green's metaphors often lend beauty and strength to ideas otherwise incomprehensible. Elegant Universe is worth reading ... Einstein would approve.
Discover Magazine
Brian Greene has made eerily complex string theory available to everyone. He has an amazing talent for using everyday images to illustrate what can happen in dimensions that go beyond human perception.
Publishers Weekly
Since the extraordinary success Brief history time, no scientific book attracted such attention.
Sunday Times (London)
Brian Green lures the reader to the cutting edge of physics with his charming prose.
The Christian Science Monitor
Greene has an amazing gift for explaining cutting edge scientific ideas in a way that anyone can appreciate with a fresh and insightful perspective.
Astronomy Magazine
The Elegant Universe is an outstanding book that has become a classic scientific explanation... Over time, [string] theory can influence our very understanding of beauty.
It is impossible to tear yourself away from reading The Elegant Universe. Greene threatens to do for string theory what Stephen Hawking did for black holes.
Greene writes with poetic eloquence and taste. Worthy of admiration is his work in translating purely mathematical efforts into pictorial images.
The Washington Post Book World
Spreads new discoveries one after another ... Continuing the best traditions of physicists writing for a wide audience, The Elegant Universe sets a standard that will be difficult to surpass.
The New York Times Book Review
With love and gratitude
my mother
and in memory of my father
Foreword
Albert Einstein spent the last thirty years of his life in a tireless search for the so-called unified theory fields - a theory that could unite all interactions existing in nature into a single, comprehensive and consistent system. The motive behind his search was not directly related to what we usually mean by scientific activities, for example, with an attempt to explain certain specific experimental data. He was driven by a passionate belief that by reaching the deepest understanding of the universe, we can penetrate into its most intimate secret - the simplicity and power of the principles that underlie it. Einstein wanted to reveal the structure of the universe with a hitherto unknown clarity, forcing us to freeze in awe at its perfect beauty and elegance.
Einstein was unable to fulfill his dream. Largely due to the fact that the path was blocked by objective circumstances: in his time, some important properties of matter and interactions either remained unknown, or, at best, were not fully understood. However, over the last half century, physicists of more and more generations, achieving successes and failing, at times falling into dead ends, continued, based on the discoveries of their predecessors, to achieve an ever more complete understanding of the principles of the structure of the universe. And now, many years after Einstein announced his search for a unified theory, from which he returned empty-handed, physicists believe that they were finally able to work out a theory that connects all these guesses into a single whole - a unified theory , which, in principle, is able to explain all phenomena. This theory, superstring theory, and is the subject of this book.
I wrote The Elegant Universe in an attempt to describe the remarkable discoveries born at the forefront physical research, and make them available to a wide range of readers, especially those of them who do not have sufficient training in physics and mathematics. As I lecture publicly on superstring theory over the past few years, I have witnessed a growing desire to understand what is being said. modern research about the fundamental laws of the universe, why these laws lead to a radical change in our ideas about the Universe, what problems remained unresolved in our continuous search for the final theory. I hope that my stories of the major advances that physics have made since Einstein and Heisenberg, and the rapid progress we have witnessed at the turn of the century, will enrich your knowledge and satisfy your curiosity.
I also expect that The Elegant Universe will be of interest to readers with a certain scientific background. I hope this book will help science students and teachers to understand some of the foundations of modern physics, such as special and general relativity and quantum mechanics, while at the same time inspiring them with the enthusiasm of researchers in search the long-awaited unified theory. To fans of popular science literature, I tried to explain many of the amazing advances in understanding the foundations of the universe that scientists have made in the last decade. As for my colleagues in other scientific disciplines, I hope this book will provide them with a truthful and balanced explanation of why string theorists are so enthusiastic about progressing towards the ultimate theory of the universe.
Superstring theory casts a wide seine into the ocean of creation. It is a broad and profound theory that encompasses many of the most important concepts that play a central role in modern physics... It unites the laws of the macrocosm and the microcosm, the action of which extends to the most far away outer space and tiny particles matter; therefore, this theory can be told in different ways. I have chosen an approach that allows us to trace the evolution of our understanding of space and time. It seems to me that this approach, showing how new, amazing ideas emerged and developed, is especially fascinating. Einstein showed the world that space and time can behave in completely unusual ways. Today's research at the forefront of science has applied Einstein's discoveries to the idea quantum universewith many hidden dimensions. These dimensions are coiled into tiny loops hidden in the fabric of the universe, and their bizarre geometry may contain answers to some of the deepest questions scientists have ever posed. Although some of the new concepts are difficult to grasp, we will see that their essence can be understood using quite tangible analogies. And when understood, these ideas will provide a completely different, startling view of our universe.
. Superstrings, hidden dimensions and the quest for the ultimate theory - Green B. - 2004
The Elegant Universe by Brian Green - a fascinating journey through modern physics, which is closer than ever to understanding how the universe works. The quantum world and Einstein's theory of relativity, the Kaluza-Klein hypothesis and extra dimensions, superstring and brane theory, the Big Bang and multi-universes - this is not a complete list of issues discussed.
Using clear analogies, the author translates the complex ideas of modern physics and mathematics into images that are understandable to everyone. Brian Greene tears the mystery off string theoryto present to the world an 11-dimensional Universe, in which the fabric of space is torn and restored, and all matter is generated by the vibrations of microscopic strings.
The book will cause undoubted interest both among specialists in natural sciences and among a wide range of readers.
Green Brian
Elegant Universe. Superstrings, hidden dimensions and the quest for the ultimate theory:
Per. from English / General ed. V.O. Malyshenko. - M .: Editorial URSS, 2004 .-- 288 p.
ISBN 5-354-00161-7
BBK 22.3о, 22.382
Foreword
Part I At the forefront of knowledge
Chapter 1 Tied by string
Three conflicts
The universe at its smallest, or what we know about matter
Interactions, or where did the photon go
String theory: basic idea
String theory as a unified theory of everything
State of the art string theory
Part II The dilemma of space, time and quanta
Chapter 2 Space, time and the gaze of the beholder
Intuition and its flaws
The principle of relativity
Light speed
Truth and its consequences
Influence on time. Part I
Influence on time. Part II
Life on the run
And yet: who is moving?
Influence of motion on space
Motion in space-time
How about E \u003d mc ^ 2?
Chapter 3 About curvatures and wavy ripples
Newtonian view of gravity
Incompatibility of Newtonian theory of gravitation and special theory of relativity
Einstein's happiest idea
Acceleration and curvature of space and time
Fundamentals of General Relativity
Some remarks
Conflict resolution
Time warp again
Experimental confirmation of general relativity
Black holes, the Big Bang and the expansion of the universe
Is General Relativity True?
Chapter 4 Microscopic oddities
Quantum theory
It's too hot in the kitchen
Portioning at the turn of the century
What are portions?
Wave or particle?
Matter particles are also waves
Waves of what?
Feynman's point of view.
Quantum wonders
Chapter 5 Need new theory: general relativity versus quantum mechanics
The essence of quantum mechanics
Quantum field theory
Messenger Particles
Gauge symmetry
General relativity and quantum mechanics
Part III Space symphony
Chapter 6 Music Only, or the Core of Superstring Theory
A brief history of string theory
Atoms again in the spirit of the ancient Greeks?
Unification through string theory
Music of string theory
Three Consequences of Stiff Strings
Gravity and quantum mechanics in string theory
Rough answer
Sleight of hand?
More accurate answer
Not just strings?
Chapter 7 "Super" in superstrings
The nature of physical laws
Spin
Supersymmetry and superpartners
The Case for Supersymmetry - Before String Theory
Supersymmetry in string theory
The super problem of abundance
Chapter 8 More measurements than the eye sees
The illusion of the familiar
Kaluza's idea and Klein's refinement
Back and forth on the Garden hose
Unification in the higher dimensions
The current state of the Kaluza-Klein theory
Extra dimensions and string theory
Some questions
Physical consequences of extra dimensions
What do collapsed dimensions look like?
Chapter 9 Smoking gun: experimental evidence
Crossfire of criticism
The road to experiment
Going through the possibilities
Superparticles
Particles with fractional electric charge
Some more distant prospects. Situation assessment
Part of GU
String theory and the structure of space-time
Chapter 10 Quantum geometry
The essence of Riemannian geometry
Cosmological scene
Essentially new feature
Physical properties coiled strings
String state spectrum
Dispute between two professors
Three questions
Two related concepts of distance in string theory
Minimum size
How general is this conclusion?
Mirror symmetry
Physics and mathematics of mirror symmetry
Chapter 11 Tearing the fabric of space
Exciting opportunity
Mirror perspective
Slow progress
The birth of a strategy
Late evenings in the last abode
Einstein
About six cans of beer and work on weekends
Moment of truth
Witten's approach
Consequences
Chapter 12 Beyond the strings: in search of M-theory
A summary of the results of the second revolution in superstring theory
Approximate method
A classic example of perturbation theory
Using perturbation theory in string theory
Does an approximation approach the answer?
String theory equations
Duality
The power of symmetry
Duality in string theory
Preliminary results
Supergravity
Glimpses of M-theory
M-tsoriya and the web of relationships
General panorama
Surprise in M-theory: democracy throughout
Does this help with unresolved issues in string theory?
Chapter 13 Black holes in terms of string theory and M-theory
Black holes and elementary particles
Does string theory keep things moving forward?
With conviction tearing the fabric of space
Flurry of email
Again about black holes and elementary particles
Melting black holes
Entropy of a black hole
How black is black?
Your way out, string theory!
The Untold Secrets of Black Holes
Chapter 14 Reflections on cosmology
Standard cosmological model
Testing the Big Bang Model
From Planck times to hundredths of a second after the Big Bang
Cosmological riddle
Inflation
Cosmology and superstring theory
In the beginning there was a lump of Planck size
Why three?
Cosmology and the kind of spaces
Calabi Yau
Before the beginning?
M-theory and the fusion of all the forces of nature
Cosmology reasoning and the ultimate theory
Part V Unified theory in the 21st century
Chapter 15 Perspectives
What is the fundamental principle of string theory?
What is space and time in reality, and can we do without them?
Will string theory lead to a reformulation of quantum mechanics?
Can string theory be tested experimentally?
Are there limits to knowledge?
Reach for the stars
Notes
Dictionary of Scientific Terms
Recommended reading
Name index
Subject index
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Albert Einstein spent the last thirty years of his life in a tireless search for the so-called unified field theory - a theory that could unite all interactions that exist in nature into a single, comprehensive and consistent system. The motive underlying his search was not directly related to what we usually mean by scientific activity, for example, with an attempt to explain certain specific experimental data. He was driven by a passionate belief that by reaching the deepest understanding of the universe, we can penetrate into its most intimate secret - the simplicity and power of the principles that underlie it. Einstein wanted to reveal the structure of the universe with a hitherto unknown clarity, forcing us to freeze in awe at its perfect beauty and elegance.
Einstein was unable to fulfill his dream. Largely due to the fact that the path was blocked by objective circumstances: in his time, some important properties of matter and interactions either remained unknown, or, at best, were not fully understood. However, over the past half century, physicists of more and more generations, achieving successes and failing, at times falling into dead ends, continued, based on the discoveries of their predecessors, to achieve an ever more complete understanding of the principles of the structure of the universe. And now, many years after Einstein announced his search for a unified theory, from which he returned empty-handed, physicists believe that they were finally able to work out a theory that connects all these guesses into a single whole - a unified theory , which, in principle, is able to explain all phenomena. This theory, superstring theory, and is the subject of this book.
I wrote Elegant Universe in an attempt to describe the remarkable discoveries that were born at the forefront of physics research and make them available to a wide range of readers, especially those who lacked sufficient background in physics and mathematics. As I lectured publicly on superstring theory over the past few years, I have witnessed a growing desire to understand what modern research says about the fundamental laws of the universe, why these laws lead to a radical change in our understanding of the universe, what problems remained unresolved in our ongoing search for a definitive theory ... I hope that my stories of the major advances that physics have made since Einstein and Heisenberg, and my description of the rapid progress we witnessed at the turn of the century, will enrich your knowledge and satisfy your curiosity.
I also hope that The Elegant Universe will be of interest to readers with a certain scientific background. I hope this book will help science students and teachers to understand some of the foundations of modern physics, such as special and general relativity and quantum mechanics, while at the same time inspiring them with the enthusiasm of researchers in search the long-awaited unified theory. To fans of popular science literature, I have tried to explain many of the amazing advances in understanding the foundations of the universe that scientists have made in the last decade. As for my colleagues in other scientific disciplines, I hope this book will provide them with a truthful and balanced explanation of why string theorists are so enthusiastic about progressing towards the ultimate theory of the universe.
Superstring theory casts a wide seine into the ocean of creation. It is an extensive and profound theory that encompasses many of the most important concepts that play a central role in modern physics. It unites the laws of the macrocosm and the microcosm, the action of which extends to the farthest distances of outer space and to the smallest particles of matter; therefore, this theory can be told in different ways. I have chosen an approach that allows us to trace the evolution of our understanding of space and time. It seems to me that this approach, showing how new, amazing ideas emerged and developed, is especially fascinating. Einstein showed the world that space and time can behave in completely unusual ways. Today, research at the forefront of science has applied Einstein's discoveries to the idea of \u200b\u200ba quantum universe with many hidden dimensions. These dimensions are coiled into tiny loops hidden in the fabric of creation, and their bizarre geometry may contain the answer to some of the most profound questions scientists have ever posed. Although some of the new concepts are difficult to grasp, we will see that their essence can be understood using quite tangible analogies. And when understood, these ideas will provide a completely different, startling view of our universe.
Throughout this book, I have tried to stay as close to science as possible, while trying to give the reader - often through analogy and metaphor - an intuitive understanding of how scientists developed modern concepts of the universe. Although I have tried to avoid special terminology and equations, the radically new nature of the concepts presented may prompt the reader to sometimes pause and think about a particular chapter or explanation so that further material will be clear to him. Some chapters of Part IV (dedicated to the most the latest achievements) are somewhat more abstract than the rest of the book. I have taken care to alert the reader to this in time, and have organized the text so that such chapters can be read superficially or skipped with minimal damage to understanding the material contained in the book. I have included in the book a glossary of scientific terms that will allow the reader to quickly recall the ideas and concepts introduced in the main text. Anyone who accidentally got their hands on this book may want to skip the notes at the end; the diligent reader will find in the notes a more detailed description of the questions, an in-depth explanation of the ideas that have been simplified in the text of the book, as well as some technical calculations for those with sufficient mathematical background.
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who helped me with the work on this book. David Steinhardt read the manuscript with the greatest attention and generously endowed me with deep comments and invaluable support. David Morrison, Ken Weinberg, Raphael Kasper, Nicholas Boles, Stephen Carlip, Arthur Grinspoon, David Mermin, Michael Popovich, and Shani Offen carefully read the manuscript and made a lot of detailed comments and suggestions that significantly improved the book. In addition, the entire manuscript or individual chapters of it were read by Paul Aspinwall, Persis Drell, Michael Duff, Kurt Gottfried, Joshua Green, Teddy Jefferson, Mark Kamionkowski, Jacob Kanter, Andrash Kovacs, David Lee, Megan McEwen, Hasan Mistry, Padamsi, Ronen Plesser, Massimo Poratti, Fred Sherry, Lars Streter, Stephen Strogach, Andrew Strominger, Henry Tee, Kumrun Wafa and Gabriele Veneziano who gave me a lot useful tips and encouraged me to further work on the book. I would like to express special thanks to Raphael Ganner, among other things, for his insightful criticism in the early stages of the work, which helped me find general form books, as well as to Robert Malie for his unobtrusive but persistent urge to move from words to deeds and start writing a book. Steven Weinberg and Sidney Coleman gave me some valuable advice and great help with this book. Carol Archer, Vicki Carstens, David Kassel, Anne Coyle, Michael Duncan, Jane Foreman, Wendy Green, Susan Greene, Eric Jendressen, Gary Cass, Shiva Kumar, Robert Mohinney, Pam Morehouse, Pierre Ramon, Amanda Simoncelles, and Eyro many , extremely helpful discussions. I am indebted to Costas Efthymiou for his help in fact-checking and reference-finding, and in transforming my initial sketches into drawings, from which Tom Rockwell created - with the patience of a saint and artistic taste - the illustrations for the book. I am also grateful to Andrew Hanson and Jim Cesna for their help in preparing some of the special drawings.
iluhin / 25.09.2012 http://blog.iluh.in/archives/5495 - Universe: learn history in just 10 minutes. This is a beautiful video tutorial
Arkady / 08/01/2012 geranya, there is no need to mystify the world - it is good the way it is.
Alex, inviting thinking people to discuss some kind of "Reason" is blasphemy.
LD_Andry, I completely agree with you.
Another guest, sitting in the toilet prompts me to think. Now I'll sit down and write an informative book about this. She will definitely expand the horizons of knowledge, and the story will turn out to be cool.
Igor, you, of course, bent about the truth. "Of the two truths, one can be completely wrong. Where is your god now?" Philosophers are such philosophers.
Igor / 5.12.2011 LD_Andry
There is no truth anywhere. To find, you need to search. I am sure that before the discovery of the periodic law, Mendeleev read many books, each of which had at least a little truth.
another guest / 11/15/2011 the book is wonderful, encourages thought. And about the "all-round pictures" ... well, you shouldn't have shown so much snobbery, because the publication is popular science, where the goal is a story, and not rigorous proof
Your name* / 11/14/2011 If you are lucky, read "The Theory of Time" by Ye.S. Polyakov. Unfortunately, he died before he could break through the wall of Classical Physics, its adepts.
Alyona / 26.08.2011 agree with LD-Andry
Max / 6.07.2011 Very accessible presentation. Such literature makes you think about the fundamental, makes you strain your convolutions again in order to comprehend the unknown ...
I recommend to everyone
Oleg19999999 / 2.04.2011 Book class !!! A teenager can figure it out too. Everything is written very clearly
LD_Andry / 1.04.2011 Such books are mine scientific director calls it "funny pictures". It is interesting to read like fiction, but one should not take everything for granted, since there is no evidence. String theory has existed since the 60s and every year it encounters new difficulties, so for now this is not the truth, but an alternative theory.
Boris / 3.11.2009 The book is super. Both the content and the style of presentation.
Alex / 12.09.2009 I invite thinking people to the site that attempts to refute Odnokamushkin's theory. (Einstein.) See the section "Albert, you're wrong." Remaining a CONSTANT, the speed of light changes due to the curvature of space.
An attempt is made to scientifically prove that the universe was created by the Mind incommensurably superior to the human.
Universe-world website
http://www.vselennaya-mir.narod.ru
Guest Universe-world
http://www.narod.ru/guestbook/?owner\u003d104753316
Here, in this essay, "Albert, You're Wrong," addresses the question of why prophecies are possible. In the chapter "The Prophecy of Three Troubles", a case is described that irrefutably proves such a possibility. There are other compelling cases of prediction.
geranya / 23.06.2009 The world is much more mysterious than we think ..... The book is amazing!
a guest / 5.06.2009 Over time, the theory of [strings] is not a mistake in the description?
The world / 05/18/2009 There are formulas at the end of the book, at least in my paper version
a guest / 26.04.2009 I would like at least a little math. At least the initial data, intermediate conclusions and the final formulation. And of course it's fascinating.
Vlad / 4.01.2009 It is so easy to explain such complex topics, even to an unprepared reader to be able to show the modern boundaries of physics ... The author has a talent!
Well, the book itself can be recommended to everyone who is interested similar topics... Reading will bring pleasure no less than reading science fiction :))
Vyacheslav / 11.11.2007 Yes, the book is very interesting, it reads like science fiction, but all this is reality ... amazing
Andy / 6.05.2007 Green touches on an amazing number of topics, presenting them in a simple and clear language without mathematical calculations and technical details ... This is an example of scientific narration. String theory is the most exciting idea since Stephen Hawking looked inside black holes.
Green puts it in such a way that everyone can understand it.
The book deals with complex things in a simple and understandable language.
A very good popular science book. There is no such clear explanation of superstring theory in any reference book on quantum physics... I just love it. I myself recently acquired and read it. I advise everyone!
DD / 28.02.2007 If instead of constantly sorting out relations with each other, people were interested in these issues, the world would become much kinder and warmer :) Brilliant book!