Warped Passages : Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
by Lisa Randall
The book is intended for a popular audience, but is also a very interesting read for anybody with a background in theoretical physics (like myself).
The first part contains an overview of modern physics - Einstein's theories of relativity, quantum mechanics and the Standard Model of particle physics.
The last part concentrates on the idea of extra dimensions beyond the standard four we know about, which can be motivated by string theory and its discovery of the so-called D-branes. Specifically, she explains the work, pioneered by herself, Raman Sundrum and others, on the so-called "braneworld scenarios".
Basically, this is the idea that our four dimensional space-time is embedded in some higher dimensional space, usually called the "bulk".
You might think, that extra dimensions are just part of a set of crazy ideas? On the contrary. You should know, that the idea of extra dimensions is actually not at all new.
Already in 1884, the original book, "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions" (written by the English mathematician Edwin Abbott) described a world of two-dimensional beings, who only have indirect knowledge of the extra third space-dimension. B
ut, from a mathematical point of view, one can imagine as many dimensions as one wants to. In physics, the story is somewhat different. more Written by Dr. Kasper Olsen
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4 days ago
1 comment:
Hi. I wish I could pass along meaningful comments on your latest blog, but my lack of schooling would be quickly exposed. My name is Mark LaFlamme. I'm a crime reporter and columnist in Lewiston, Maine. Clearly, I have no business poking around sites dedicated to quantum physics. However, I've been fascinated with the field for several years now and it's a fascination that's slow to pass.
Recently, I've been searching for a credible physicist or scholar to take a look at my novel "The Pink Room," which was published last month. Briefly: the world's leading physicist attempts to use the science of string theory to bring his daughter back from the dead. Government agents and a bestselling novelist race to find out if he was succesful. The novel is getting great reviews so far, but I wonder how many of my readers have a working grasp of the science. Look me up if you're interested. mark@marklaflamme.com
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