by Michio Kaku and Jennifer Thompson (1997)
Beyond Einstein takes readers on an exciting excursion into the discoveries that have led scientists to the brightest new prospect in theoretical physics today -- superstring theory. What is superstring theory and why is it important? This revolutionary breakthrough may well be the fulfillment of Albert Einstein's lifelong dream of a Theory of Everything, uniting the laws of physics into a single description explaining all the known forces in the universe.
[auteur, Alexandre Wajnberg
Une introduction abondamment illustrée à l'astronomie (Univers, système solaire, observation et exploration, vie extraterrestre). Des personnages de type BD animent la leçon tandis que des schémas, photographies et images de synthèse illustrent les aspects scientifiques. [SDM].
John C. Mather and John Boslough
In 1990 and 1992, a NASA-led team of scientists from the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) project changed the way we view the universe. They showed that microwave radiation that fills the universe has an exquisite perfection that proves it came from the Big Bang itself. Even more spectacularly, they found tiny variations in its brightness that come from quantum sound waves in that great explosion, primordial seeds that would nucleate the growth of galaxies and make our own existence possible. Their discoveries drew standing ovations from scientists and made headlines around the world. In this no-holds-barred account, COBE's Project Scientist and originator John C. Mather and science writer John Boslough furnish intimate and startling details. They tell of the discovery of the cosmic background radiation and of the subsequent fifteen-year struggle to design, build, and launch the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite. An eye-opening, riveting account with rare narrative verve, The Very First Light tells the story of COBE from start to finish, including an unwelcome controversy when one team member breached the project's publication policy and stepped into the limelight alone.
Martin Bojowald
"Canonical methods are a powerful mathematical tool within the field of gravitational research, both theoretical and experimental, and have contributed to a number of recent developments in physics. Providing mathematical foundations as well as physical applications, this is the first systematic explanation of canonical methods in gravity. The book discusses the mathematical and geometrical notions underlying canonical tools, highlighting their applications in all aspects of gravitational research from advanced mathematical foundations to modern applications in cosmology and black hole physics. The main canonical formulations, including the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) formalism and Ashtekar variables, are derived and discussed. Ideal for both graduate students and researchers, this book provides a link between standard introductions to general relativity and advanced expositions of black hole physics, theoretical cosmology or quantum gravity"-- "Canonical methods are a powerful mathematical tool within the field of gravitational research, both theoretical and experimental, and have contributed to a number of recent developments in physics. Providing mathematical foundations as well as physical applications, this is the first systematic explanation of canonical methods in gravity. The book discusses the mathematical and geometrical notions underlying canonical tools, highlighting their applications in all aspects of gravitational research from advanced mathematical foundations to modern applications in cosmology and black-hole physics. The main canonical formulations, including the Arnowitt-Deser-Misner (ADM) formalism and Ashtekar variables, are derived and discussed. Ideal for both graduate students and researchers, this book provides a link between standard introductions to general relativity and advanced expositions of black-hole physics, theoretical cosmology or quantum gravity"--
A.J. Leggett
This book aims to give the non-specialist reader a general overview of what physicists think they do and do not know in some representative frontier areas of contemporary physics. It focuses on the fundamental problems at the heart of the subject, and emphasizes the provisional nature of our present understanding of things.