Astro Fisika: The Elegant Universe I

Wednesday 6 June 2007

The Elegant Universe I

The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory

Author(s)	Brian Greene
Subject(s)	String theory
Genre(s)	Non-fiction
Publisher	Vintage
Publication date	February 1999
Media type	Print (Hardcover andPaperback)
Pages	464
ISBN	0-375-70811-1
Followed by	The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality

The Elegant Universe is a book by Brian Greene published in 1999 which introduces string theoryand provides a comprehensive though non-technical assessment of the theory and some of its shortcomings.

Beginning with a brief consideration of classical physics, which concentrates on the major conflicts in physics, Greene establishes a historical context for string theory as a necessary means of integrating the probabilistic world of the standard model of particle physics and the deterministic Newtonian physics of the macroscopic world. Greene discusses the essential problem facing modern physics: unification of Albert Einstein's theory of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Greene suggests that string theory is the solution to these two conflicting approaches. Greene frequently uses analogies and thought experiments to provide a means for the layman to come to terms with the theory which has the potential to create a unified theory of physics.

Aouthor

Brian Greene (born February 9, 1963) is an American theoretical physicist and string theorist. He has been a professor at Columbia University since 1996. Greene has worked on mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds (concretely, relating theconifold to one of its orbifolds). He also described the flop transition, a mild form oftopology change, showing that topology in string theory can change at the conifold point. He has become known to a wider audience through his books for the general public, The Elegant Universe, Icarus at the Edge of Time, The Fabric of the Cosmos, The Hidden Reality, and a related PBS television special. Greene also appeared on The Big Bang Theory episode "The Herb Garden Germination."

Biography

Greene was born in New York City. His father, Alan Greene, was a one-time vaudevilleperformer and high school dropout who later worked as a voice coach and composer. After attending Stuyvesant High School, where he was a classmate of Lisa Randall, Greene entered Harvard in 1980 to major in physics.

After completing his bachelor's degree, Greene earned his doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, graduating in 1987. While at Oxford, Greene also studied piano with the concert pianist Jack Gibbons.

Greene joined the physics faculty of Cornell University in 1990, and was appointed to a full professorship in 1995. The following year, he joined the staff of Columbia Universityas a full professor.

At Columbia, Greene is co-director of the university's Institute for Strings, Cosmology, and Astroparticle Physics (ISCAP), and is leading a research program applying superstring theory to cosmological questions. He is also one of the FQXi large grant awardees, his project title being "Arrow of Time in the Quantum Universe".

His co-investigators are David Albert and Maulik Parikh.

Greene is married to former ABC producer Tracy Day. He became vegan in 1997 after touring Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY.

Brian Greene
At the launch of the World Science Festival, April 2008
Born	February 9, 1963 (age 48) New York City, U.S.
Residence	United States
Nationality	USA
Fields	Physics
Institutions	Cornell University Columbia University
Alma mater	Stuyvesant High School Harvard University Oxford University
Doctoral advisor	Graham G. Ross (Oxford University) James Binney
Known for	String theory The Elegant Universe The Fabric of the Cosmos

Research

Greene's area of research is string theory, a candidate for a theory of quantum gravity, attempts to explain the different particle species of thestandard model of particle physics as different aspects of a single type of one-dimensional, vibrating string. One peculiarity of string theory is that it postulates the existence of extra dimensions of space – instead of the usual four dimensions, there must be ten spatial dimensions and one dimension of time to allow for a consistently defined string theory. The theory has several explanations to offer for why we do not perceive these extra dimensions, one being that they are "curled up" (compactified, to use the technical term) and are hence too small to be readily noticeable.

In the field, Greene is best known for his contribution to the understanding of the different shapes the curled-up dimensions of string theory take on. The most important of these shapes are so-called Calabi-Yau manifolds; when the extra dimensions take on those particular form, physics in three dimensions exhibits an abstract symmetry known as supersymmetry.

Greene has worked on a particular class of symmetry relating two different Calabi-Yau manifolds, known as mirror symmetry (concretely, relating the conifold to one of its orbifolds). He is also known for his research on the flop transition, a mild form of topology change, showing that topology in string theory can change at the conifold point.

Currently, Greene studies string cosmology, especially the imprints of trans Planckian physics on the cosmic microwave background, andbrane-gas cosmologies that could explain why the space around us has three large dimensions, expanding on the suggestion of a black hole electron, namely that the electron may be a black hole.