Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions

Front Cover
Harper Collins, Oct 21, 2009 - Science - 514 pages

The universe has many secrets. It may hide additional dimensions of space other than the familier three we recognize. There might even be another universe adjacent to ours, invisible and unattainable . . . for now.

Warped Passages is a brilliantly readable and altogether exhilarating journey that tracks the arc of discovery from early twentieth-century physics to the razor's edge of modern scientific theory. One of the world's leading theoretical physicists, Lisa Randall provides astonishing scientific possibilities that, until recently, were restricted to the realm of science fiction. Unraveling the twisted threads of the most current debates on relativity, quantum mechanics, and gravity, she explores some of the most fundamental questions posed by Nature—taking us into the warped, hidden dimensions underpinning the universe we live in, demystifying the science of the myriad worlds that may exist just beyond our own.

 

Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements
Demystifying Dimensions
Rolledup Extra Dimensions
Branes Braneworlds and the Bulk
Approaches to Theoretical Physics
String Theory and Branes
The Evolution of Einsteins Gravity
Principled Uncertainty the Principal
A Leap Beyond the Standard Model
Allegro Ma Non Troppo Passage for Strings
Brane Development
Braneworlds
Proposals for ExtraDimensional Universes
Fingerprints of Extra Dimensions
A Solution to the Hierarchy Problem
The Warped Annotated Alice

The Physics of Elementary Particles
Verifying the Standard Model
The Essential Organizing Principle
Spontaneous
Relating Interactions
The Only Effective TrickleDown
A Reflective and Expansive Passage
Closing Thoughts
Glossary
Math Notes
Permissions
About the Author

Other editions - View all

Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
Lisa Randall
Limited preview - 2005
Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
Lisa Randall
Limited preview - 2009
Warped Passages: Unravelling the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
Lisa Randall
Snippet view - 2005
View all »

Common terms and phrases

acceleration antiparticles Athena atom branes braneworlds chapter charge classical colliders decay dimensional distance Einstein electron electroweak elementary particles example exist experimental experiments extra dimensions extra-dimensional fermions fifth dimension Figure five-dimensional four-dimensional frequency fundamental gluons gravitational field gravitational force graviton gravity Gravitybrane hadrons hierarchy problem Higgs field Higgs mechanism Higgs particle high energies higher-dimensional ideas internal symmetry KK particles KK partners leptons look massless matter measure momentum muon neutrino neutron Newton’s nonzero objects observations oscillate particle masses particle physics particle’s photon physical laws Planck scale Planck scale energy Planck scale mass polarization predictions probability function quantization quantum contributions quantum field theory quantum mechanics space spacetime spatial dimensions special relativity speed of light Standard Model Standard Model particles string theory strong force superpartners tells theorists three-dimensional top quark uncertainty principle universe virtual particles warped geometry wave weak force weak force symmetry weak gauge bosons Weakbrane

About the author (2009)

Lisa Randall studies theoretical particle physics and cosmology at Harvard University, where she is Frank B. Baird, Jr., Professor of Science. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, she is the recipient of many awards and honorary degrees. Professor Randall was included in Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People" of 2007 and was among Esquire magazine's "75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century." Professor Randall's two books, Warped Passages (2005) and Knocking on Heaven's Door (2011) were New York Times bestsellers and 100 Notable Books. Her stand-alone e-book, Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space, was published in 2012.

Bibliographic information

TitleWarped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
AuthorLisa Randall
Editionunabridged
PublisherHarper Collins, 2009
ISBN0061981230, 9780061981234
Length514 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Science / Physics / Nuclear
Science / Physics / Particle
Science / Space Science / Astronomy
  
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