量子宇宙への3つの道 (サイエンス・マスターズ) [単行本]

空間とは何か。時間とは何か。この大いなる謎に、いま驚くべき答えがもたらされる。話題のホーキング理論からひも理論まで、最新の宇宙物理学の到達点を一望する。

宇宙を考えることは、時空を考えることだ。時間とは何か、空間とは何か―古来、科学者はこの謎に挑みつづけた。20世紀初頭に現れた相対性理論と量子論は、時空の見方を根底から覆してしまった。そして21世紀―いま、その二つの理論を統合する試みが、さらに革命的な答えをもたらそうとしている!ホーキング理論から超ひも理論まで、最新の宇宙物理学の到達点を一望する、格好の入門書。

空間とは何か、時間とは何か。この大いなる謎に、今驚くべき答えがもたらされる。話題のホーキング理論から超ひも理論まで、乱立する宇宙論統合への道をあざやかに示す。

It's difficult, writes Lee Smolin in this lucid overview of modern physics, to talk meaningfully about the big questions of space and time, given the limitations of our technology and perceptions.

It's more difficult still given some of the contradictions and inconsistencies that obtain between quantum theory, which "was invented to explain why atoms are stable and do not instantly fall apart" but has little to say about space and time, and general relatively theory, which has everything to say about the big picture but tends to collapse when describing the behavior of atoms and their even smaller constituents. Whence the hero of Smolin's tale, the as-yet-incomplete quantum theory of gravity, which seeks to unify relativity and quantum theory--and, in the bargain, to move toward a "grand theory of everything." Smolin ably explains concepts that underlie quantum gravity, such as background independence, the superposition principle, and the notion of causal structure, and he traces the development of allied theories that have shaped modern physics and led to this new view of the universe.

Although he allows that "it has not been possible to test any of our new theories of quantum gravity experimentally," Smolin predicts that a solid framework will be established by 2015 at the outside. If he's correct, the years in between promise to be an exciting time for students of the physical sciences, and Smolin's book makes an engaging introduction to some of the big questions they'll be asking. --Gregory McNamee
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The most obvious questions--e.g., "What are time and space?"--are nearly impossible to answer. Smolin (The Life of the Cosmos), professor of physics at Pennsylvania State University, offers "a report from the front" of the current "revolution" in theories of space and time. Aimed at beginners, this careful treatment of the search for a single theory that brings together relativity and quantum theory will draw in potential explorers. Illus.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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From one of the world's most distinguished scientists, the first popular book to present the controversial and exciting ideas behind quantum gravity.

The Holy Grail of modern physics is a theory of the universe that unites two seemingly opposing pillars of modern science: Einstein's theory of general relativity, which deals with large-scale phenomena (planets, solar systems and galaxies), and quantum theory, which deals with the world of the very small (molecules, atoms, electrons).

In Three Roads to Quantum Gravity, Lee Smolin provides the first concise and accessible overview of current attempts to reconcile these two theories in a final "theory of everything." This is the closest anyone has ever come to devising a completely new theory of space, time and the universe to replace the Newtonian ideas that were the foundation of all science until the beginning of the twentieth century.

Lee Smolin, who has spent his career at the forefront of these new discoveries, presents for the first time the main ideas behind the new developments that have brought a quantum theory of gravity in sight. He explains in simple terms what scientists are talking about when they say the world is made from exotic entities such as loops, strings, and black holes. As he does so, he tells the fascinating stories behind these discoveries: the rivalries, epiphanies, and intrigues he witnessed firsthand.

Science Masters Series
--このテキストは、 ペーパーバック 版に関連付けられています。

--このテキストは、 ペーパーバック 版に関連付けられています。

スモーリン,リー
理論物理学者。ハーバード大学、シカゴ大学、イェール大学などを経て、現在はペンシルヴァニア州立大学重力物理学・幾何学センター物理学教授。相対性理論と宇宙論を量子論に統合する研究において第一線で活躍している

林 一
1933年、台北市生まれ。1959年、立教大学理学部物理学科卒業。昭和薬科大学教授を経て、現在、同大学名誉教授。専攻は物理学、科学史(本データはこの書籍が刊行された当時に掲載されていたものです)