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Quantum Space by J. E. Baggott (Hardback)
£22.99
Available
Product Ref. (e.g. ISBN, SKU)
9780198809111
Published:
22 Nov 2018
Format:
Hardback
Number of pages:
448 pages
Dimensions:
238x162x38.1mm
Weight:
0.711kgs
Author:
The greatest challenge for physics is to combine its two most successful theories: general relativity and quantum mechanics. The resulting quantum theory of gravity would explain the universe across all scales. Much has been said about the approach based on string theory. Here, Jim Baggott describes its powerful rival: Loop Quantum Gravity.
Today we are blessed with two extraordinarily successful theories of physics. The first is Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity, which describes the large-scale behaviour of matter in a curved spacetime. This theory is the basis for the standard model of big bang cosmology. The discovery of gravitational waves at the LIGO observatory in the US (and then Virgo, in Italy) is only the most recent of this theory's many triumphs.
The second is quantum mechanics. This theory describes the properties and behaviour of matter and radiation at their smallest scales. It is the basis for the standard model of particle physics, which builds up all the visible constituents of the universe out of collections of quarks, electrons and force-carrying particles such as photons. The discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN in Geneva is only the most recent of this theory's many triumphs.
But, while they are both highly successful, these two structures leave a lot of important questions unanswered. They are also based on two different interpretations of space and time, and are therefore fundamentally incompatible. We have two descriptions but, as far as we know, we've only ever had one universe. What we need is a quantum theory of gravity.
Approaches to formulating such a theory have primarily followed two paths. One leads to String Theory, which has for long been fashionable, and about which much has been written. But String Theory has become mired in problems. In this book, Jim Baggott describes "the road less travelled": an approach which takes relativity as its starting point, and leads to a structure called Loop Quantum Gravity. Baggott tells the story through the careers and pioneering work of two of the theory's most prominent contributors, Lee Smolin and Carlo Rovelli. Combining clear discussions of both quantum theory and general relativity, this book offers one of the first efforts to explain the new quantum theory of space and time.
About the Author: Jim Baggott is a freelance science writer. He was a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Reading but left to work with Shell International Petroleum Company, and then as an independent business consultant and trainer. His many books include Quantum Reality: The Quest for the Real Meaning of Quantum Mechanics - A Game of Theories (OUP, 2020), Mass: The Quest to Understand Matter from Greek Atoms to Quantum Fields (OUP, 2017), Origins: The Scientific Story of Creation(OUP, 2015), Higgs: The Invention and Discovery of the 'God Particle' (OUP, 2012), The Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments (OUP, 2011), and A Beginners Guide to Reality (Penguin, 2005).
| Number of pages | 448 |
|---|
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