Hyperspace: A Scientific Odyssey Through Parallel Universes, Time Warps, and the Tenth Dimension ANNOTATION
Kaku, a physicist, paints a vivid portrait of the groundbreaking theory of hyperspace and its newest wrinkle--superstring theory.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Are there other dimensions beyond our own? Is time travel possible? Can we change the past? Are there gateways to parallel universes? All of us have pondered such questions, but there was a time when scientists dismissed these notions as outlandish speculations. Not any more. Today, they are the focus of the most intense scientific activity in recent memory. In Hyperspace, Michio Kaku, author of the widely acclaimed Beyond Einstein and a leading theoretical physicist, offers the first book-length tour of the most exciting (and perhaps most bizarre) work in modern physics, work which includes research on the tenth dimension, time warps, black holes, and multiple universes. The theory of hyperspace (or higher dimensional space) - and its newest wrinkle, superstring theory - stand at the center of this revolution, with adherents in every major research laboratory in the world, including several Nobel laureates. Beginning where Hawking's Brief History of Time left off, Kaku paints a vivid portrayal of the breakthroughs now rocking the physics establishment. Why all the excitement? As the author points out, for over half a century, scientists have puzzled over why the basic forces of the cosmos - gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces - require markedly different mathematical descriptions. But if we see these forces as vibrations in a higher dimensional space, their field equations suddenly fit together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle, perfectly snug, in an elegant, astonishingly simple form. This may thus be our leading candidate for the Theory of Everything. If so, it would be the crowning achievement of 2,000 years of scientific investigation into matter and its forces. Already, the theory has inspired several thousand research papers, and has been the focus of over 200 international conferences. Many leading scientists believe the theory will unlock the deepest secrets of creation and answer some of the most intriguing questions of all
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
Since ingesting Einstein's relativity theory 50 years ago, physics fell down a quantum rabbit hole and, ever since, physicists' reports to the world of popular science have been curiouser and curiouser. This version, from the author of the graduate text Quantum Field Theory , is very curious as he delineates the ``delicious contradictions'' of the quantum revolution: that the new paradigms of subatomic matter require the existence of ``hyperspace,'' an ultimate universe of many dimensions, to accomodate their mostly mathematical behaviors. Unified field theory as it is currently understood does not preclude any of the hypotheses that Kaku invites to this Mad Hatter's Theory Party: superstrings, parallel universes and, his centerpiece, time travel. Although occasionally facile, Kaku remains on solid theoretical ground up to the point of his untestable hypotheses, which lead to his more abstract arguments. In the past decade particle physics has lurched to astonishing contradictions and Kaku's adventurous, tantalizing book should not be penalized for promising more than present technology can test. His intellectual perceptions will thrill lay readers, SF fans and the physics-literate. Illustrations. (Apr.)
Library Journal
With erudition and wisdom, Kaku (physics, CUNY) has written a fascinating overview of the major scientists, discoveries, and ideas involved in an ongoing quest for synthesizing quantum mechanics and relativity physics into a superstring theory of our entire universe (unifying gravity, electromagnetism, and the strong and weak nuclear forces). His clear and concise exposition in cosmology explores many topics, ranging from subatomic particles (e.g., quarks and leptons), exobiology, and black holes to wormholes, time travel, and other universes. Kaku stresses that modern physics still needs a more powerful topology mathematics in order to understand completely our expanding and evolving cosmos. Of value for both specialists and general readers, Hyperspace is an engaging and intriguing book. Highly recommended for all science collections in academic and public libraries.-- James Birx, Canisius Coll., Buffalo, N.Y.
Booknews
Popular science writer and theoretical physicist, Kaku (physics, City College of the City University of New York), offers a look for the general reader into the newest scientific revolution: the theory of hyperspace. Discussion includes the fifth dimension, superstrings, wormholes, time machines, and the fate of the universe. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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