The Great Beyond

Paul Halpern

Description

The concept of multiple unperceived dimensions in the universe is one of the hottest topics in contemporary physics. It is essential to current attempts to explain gravity and the underlying structure of the universe. The Great Beyond begins with Einstein’s famous quarrel with Heisenberg and Bohr, whose theories of uncertainty threatened the order Einstein believed was essential to the universe, and it was his rejection of uncertainty that drove him to ponder the existence of a fifth dimension. Beginning with this famous disagreement and culminating with an explanation of the newest "brane" approach, author Paul Halpern shows how current debates about the nature of reality began as age-old controversies, and addresses how the possibility of higher dimensions has influenced culture over the past one hundred years.
Acknowledgments.

Introduction: The Kaluza-Klein Miracle.

1. The Power of Geometry.

2. Visions of Hyperspace.

3. The Physicist's Stone: Uniting Electricity, Magnetism, and Light.

4. Getting Gravity in Shape.

5. Striking the Fifth Chord: Kaluza's Remarkable Discovery.

6. Klein's Quantum Odyssey.

7. Einstein's Dilemma.

8. Truth under Exile: Theorizing at Princeton.

9. Brave New World:Seeking Unity in an Age of Conflict.

10. Gauging the Weak and the Strong.

11. Hyperspace Packages Tied Up in Strings.

12. Brane Worlds and Parallel Universes.

Conclusion: Extra-dimensional Perception.

Notes.

Further Reading.

Index.

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques
• Physics
• Werner Heisenberg
• Science
• Albert Einstein
• Niels Bohr
• Physique
• Physical attractiveness

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 21 avril 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470325322
• Langue: English

Extrait

Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes, and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything
PAUL HALPERN
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Copyright 2004 by Paul Halpern. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey Published simultaneously in Canada
Cartoon p. 8 , courtesy of the Library of Congress. Figures pp. 19 , 22 , 24 , 37 , 48 , 52 , 75 , 127 , 253 , 265 , 273 concept by Paul Halpern. Rendered by Jerry Antner, RichArt Graphics; p. 56 , concept by Paul Halpern, based on an illustration by Edwin Abbott, rendered by Jerry Antner, RichArt Graphics. Photos pp. 27 , 93 , 134 , 168 , 187 , 194 , 242 Paul Halpern; pp. 29 , 42 , 143 courtesy of the Archives, California Institute of Technology; p. 154 , by John Hagemeyer, courtesy of the Archives, California Institute of Technology; p. 106 , courtesy of the University of G ttingen; pp. 117 , 122 , 197 , courtesy of the Niels Bohr Archive; p. 163 , courtesy of Syracuse University; p. 233 , courtesy of Claud Lovelace and Rutgers University; pp. 237 , 254 courtesy of the American Institute of Physics, Emilio S gre Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data :
Halpern, Paul, date.
The great beyond : higher dimensions, parallel universes, and the extraordinary search for a theory of everything / by Paul Halpern.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical regerences.
ISBN 0-471-46595-X (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Physics-Philosophy. 2. Relativity (Physics) 3. Particles (Nuclear physics) 4. Cosmology. I. Title.
QC6.H273 2004
530 .01-dc22
2004004687
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedicated to Michael Erlich and Frederick Schuepfer, for their great friendship and inspiration over the years .
Non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics are enough to stretch any brain; and when one mixes them with folklore, and tries to trace a strange background of multi-dimensional reality behind the ghoulish hints of the Gothic tales and the wild-whispers of the chimney corner, one can hardly expect to be wholly free from mental tension.
-H. P. L OVECRAFT , The Dreams in the Witch-House (1933)
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Kaluza-Klein Miracle
1 The Power of Geometry
2 Visions of Hyperspace
3 The Physicist s Stone: Uniting Electricity, Magnetism, and Light
4 Getting Gravity in Shape
5 Striking the Fifth Chord: Kaluza s Remarkable Discovery
6 Klein s Quantum Odyssey
7 Einstein s Dilemma
8 Truth under Exile: Theorizing at Princeton
9 Brave New World: Seeking Unity in an Age of Conflict
10 Gauging the Weak and the Strong
11 Hyperspace Packages Tied Up in Strings
12 Brane Worlds and Parallel Universes
Conclusion: Extra-dimensional Perception
Notes
Further Reading
Index
Acknowledgments
I wish to acknowledge the generous support of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, which has provided me with the time and resources for this research. The fine examples set by past and current Guggenheim fellows have offered a constant source of inspiration for my work.
Several notable historians of science offered me valuable advice for this project. I thank them sincerely for their help. These include Gerald Holton, John Stachel, Martin J. Klein, and Daniela W nsch. Thanks also to J rgen Renn and Anne J. Kox, who offered their friendly support. The Philadelphia Area Seminar on the History of Mathematics has been a great source of guidance. I thank the members of the group for their comments, and acknowledge the critical assistance of David Zitarelli, Robert Jantzen, Paul Pasles, Jim Beichler, and Thomas Bartlow. I would also like to honor the memory of my advisor, Max Dresden, who brought the history of science to life in his colorful lectures.
Getting to meet and interview the legendary physicist John Wheeler was a special thrill. I thank him for his insights and hospitality, and thank Kenneth Ford for arranging the interview, as well for as his own comments. I was also fortunate to have valuable discussions with many other leading physicists, whom I thank sincerely for their time, including Bryce DeWitt, Gary Gibbons, Paul Steinhardt, Raman Sundrum, Savas Dimopoulos, Alan Chodos, Lisa Randall, Claud Lovelace, and Paul Wesson. Thanks to Peter van Nieuwenhuizen for useful references. Jeff Harvey kindly gave me permission to quote from his song parody. For the use of Einstein s quotations, I recognize the permission granted by the Einstein Papers Project, California Institute of Technology, and the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
Many thanks to Stanley Deser, who shared his insights and took the time to offer me a window into the world of Oskar Klein. A special word of appreciation to Bernard Julia and Eugene Cremmer of the cole Normale Sup rieure in Paris for their hospitality and advice during my visit. I would also like to thank astronomers Harry Shipman and Steven Dick, as well as physicists Dieter Forster and Justin Vasquez-Poritz for their suggestions and support. Mathematicians Samuel J. Patterson and Martin Kneser of the University of G ttingen were extraordinarily kind in describing the history of their department, especially during the time of Kaluza. Psychiatrist John Smythies was of great help for his comments and references about dimensionality and the mind. For elucidating the background of his multimedia pieces and their connections to higher dimensions, I am grateful to filmmaker Peter Rose.
The Bergmann family has been of enormous help to my research. It was a distinct pleasure having the opportunity to speak to Peter Bergmann in summer 2002. With his passing, the physics community has lost an exceptional scholar, organizer, and educator. I very much appreciate the kindness of Ernest Bergmann in answering many questions about his father. I also thank John Bergmann, Joshua Goldberg, and Linda Jean Owens (Peter Bergmann s caretaker when he was ill) for their help. Engelbert Schucking, one of Peter Bergmann s closest friends and a great scholar of relativity, was kind enough to offer his valuable insights.
I would like to thank Robert S. Cox, Valerie-Anne Lutz, and the staff of the Manuscripts Library at the American Philosophical Society for their friendly assistance. The staff of the Department of Rare Books and Special Collections at Princeton University, including Margaret Rich and AnnaLee Pauls, have been of tremendous help in making it possible for me to examine the Albert Einstein Duplicate Archives. The libraries of the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, the University of G ttingen, Cambridge University, and the London Metropolitan Archives have also been of great use in my research. Thanks also to David Rose, the librarian at the City of London school, for his generous assistance, for showing me the Edwin Abbott collection and for taking me on a tour of the school. David Martin, head of mathematics for the school, was also very helpful.
I would like to express my appreciation to Felicity Pors, Finn Aaserud, and the staff of the Niels Bohr Archive for permitting me to examine the Oskar Klein papers, and for their great hospitality during my visit to Copenhagen. I also appreciate the help of Harry Leechburch, who offered kind assistance when I viewed the Paul Ehrenfest material at the Museum Boerhaeve in Leiden.
Many thanks to the leadership of the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, including Philip Gerbino, Barbara Byrne, C. Reynold Verret, Charles Gibley, Margaret Kasschau, Elizabeth Bressi-Stoppe, Allen Misher, Anthony McCague, John Martino, Joseph Trainor, Robert Boughner, and Stanley Zietz, for making it possible for me to have a productive sabbatical year, free of the distractions of committee work and teaching. Thanks also to faculty members Roy Robson, David Traxel, Barbara Bendl, David Kerrick, Salar Alsardary, Durai Sabapathi, Tarlok Aurora, Ping Cunliffe, Amy Kimchuk, Lia Vas, Greg Manco, Bernard