Warped Passages - Lisa Randall [0]
Warped Passages
Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions
Contents
Preface and Acknowledgements
I. Dimensions of Space (and Thought)
Introduction
1 Entryway Passages: Demystifying Dimensions
2 Restricted Passages: Rolled-up Extra Dimensions
3 Exclusive Passages: Branes, Braneworlds, and the Bulk
4 Approaches to Theoretical Physics
II. Early Twentieth-Century Advances
5 Relativity: The Evolution of Einstein’s Gravity
6 Quantum Mechanics: Principled Uncertainty, the Principal Uncertainties, and the Uncertainty Principle
III. The Physics of Elementary Particles
7 The Standard Model of Particle Physics: Matter’s Most Basic Known Structure
8 Experimental Interlude: Verifying the Standard Model
9 Symmetry: The Essential Organizing Principle
10 The Origin of Elementary Particle Masses: Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking and the Higgs Mechanism
11 Scaling and Grand Unification: Relating Interactions at Different Lengths and Energies
12 The Hierarchy Problem: The Only Effective Trickle-Down Theory
13 Supersymmetry: A Leap Beyond the Standard Model
IV. String Theory and Branes
14 Allegro (Ma Non Troppo) Passage for Strings
15 Supporting Passages: Brane Development
16 Bustling Passages: Braneworlds
V. Proposals for Extra-Dimensional Universes
17 Sparsely Populated Passages: Multiverses and Sequestering
18 Leaky Passages: Fingerprints of Extra Dimensions
19 Voluminous Passages: Large Extra Dimensions
20 Warped Passage: A Solution to the Hierarchy Problem
21 The Warped Annotated “Alice”
22 Profound Passage: An Infinite Extra Dimension
23 A Reflective and Expansive Passage
VI. Closing Thoughts
24 Extra Dimensions: Are You In or Out?
25 (In)Conclusion
Glossary
Math Notes
Permissions
Searchable Terms
About the Author
Copyright
About the Publisher
Preface and Acknowledgments
When I was a young girl, I loved the play and intellectual games in math problems or in books like Alice in Wonderland. But although reading was one of my favorite activities, books about science usually seemed more remote and less inviting to me—I never felt sufficiently engaged or challenged. The tone often seemed condescending to readers, overly worshipful of scientists, or boring. I felt the authors mystified results or glorified the men who found them, rather than describing science itself and the process by which scientists made their connections. That was the part I actually wanted to know.
As I learned more science, I grew to love it. I didn’t always know that I would become a physicist and feel this way; no one I knew when I was young did science. But engaging with the unknown is irresistibly exciting. I found it thrilling to find connections between apparently disparate phenomena and to solve problems and predict surprising features of our world. As a physicist, I now understand that science is a living entity that continues to evolve. Not only the answers, but also the games and riddles and participation make it interesting.
When I decided to embark on this project, I envisioned a book that shares the excitement I feel about my work without compromising the presentation of the science. I hoped to convey the fascination of theoretical physics without simplifying the subject deceptively or presenting it as a collection of unchanging, finished monuments to be passively admired. Physics is far more creative and fun than people generally recognize. I wanted to share these aspects with people who hadn’t necessarily arrived at this realization on their own.
There’s a new world view pressing down upon us. Extra dimensions have changed the way physicists think about the universe. And because the connections of extra dimensions to the world could tie into many more well-established physics ideas, extra dimensions are a way to approach older, already-verified facts about the universe via new and intriguing pathways.
Some of the ideas I’ve included are abstract and speculative, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be understandable to anyone who is curious. I decided to let