String theory, many physicists believe, is the key to the unified field theory that eluded Einstein for more than thirty years. Deftly uniting quantum mechanics and general relativity—the two pillars of modern physics—string theory declares that all of the wondrous happenings in the universe arise from the vibrations of one single entity: microscopically tiny loops of energy that lie deep within the heart of matter.
In this brilliantly articulated and refreshingly clear book, Brian Greene relates the scientific story and the human struggle behind the search for the ultimate theory. Through the artful use of metaphor and analogy, The Elegant Universe makes some of the most sophisticated concepts ever contemplated viscerally accessible and thoroughly entertaining, bringing us closer than ever to understanding how the universe works.
Author(s): Brian Greene
Edition: 2
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Year: 2003
Language: English
Commentary: scantailor made
Pages: 448
City: New York
Tags: string theory;lambdoma;elegantuniverses0000gree_h6i2
Cover
Title
Contents
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface
Part I: The Edge of Knowledge
1. Tied Up with String
Part II: The Dilemma of Space, Time, and the Quanta
2. Space, Time, and the Eye of the Beholder
3. Of Warps and Ripples
4. Microscopic Weirdness
5. The Need for a New Theory: General Relativity vs. Quantum Mechanics
Part III: The Cosmic Symphony
6. Nothing but Music: The Essentials of Superstring Theory
7. The “Super” in Superstrings
8. More Dimensions Than Meet the Eye
9. The Smoking Gun: Experimental Signatures
Part IV: String Theory and the Fabric of Spacetime
10. Quantum Geometry
11. Tearing the Fabric of Space
12. Beyond Strings: In Search of M-Theory
13. Black Holes: A String/M-Theory Perspective
14. Reflections on Cosmology
Part V: Unification in the Twenty-First Century
15. Prospects
Notes
Glossary of Scientific Terms
References and Suggestions for Further Reading
Index
