The Little Book of String Theory (Science Essentials) [Hardcover]

Steven S. Gubser (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0691142890 | ISBN-13: 978-0691142890 | Publication Date: February 8, 2010

The Little Book of String Theory offers a short, accessible, and entertaining introduction to one of the most talked-about areas of physics today. String theory has been called the "theory of everything." It seeks to describe all the fundamental forces of nature. It encompasses gravity and quantum mechanics in one unifying theory. But it is unproven and fraught with controversy. After reading this book, you'll be able to draw your own conclusions about string theory.

Steve Gubser begins by explaining Einstein's famous equation E = mc², quantum mechanics, and black holes. He then gives readers a crash course in string theory and the core ideas behind it. In plain English and with a minimum of mathematics, Gubser covers strings, branes, string dualities, extra dimensions, curved spacetime, quantum fluctuations, symmetry, and supersymmetry. He describes efforts to link string theory to experimental physics and uses analogies that nonscientists can understand. How does Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu relate to quantum mechanics? What would it be like to fall into a black hole? Why is dancing a waltz similar to contemplating a string duality? Find out in the pages of this book.

The Little Book of String Theory is the essential, most up-to-date beginner's guide to this elegant, multidimensional field of physics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Little Book of String Theory by theoretical physicist Steven Gubser puts into words the abstract maths of some of the most challenging areas of physics, from energy and quantum mechanics to branes, supersymmetry and multiple dimensions. -- Nature



Princeton theoretical physicist Steven S. Gubser opens The Little Book of String Theory with a simple--and highly accurate--sentence: 'String theory is a mystery.' You won't get very far into this excellent book before you'll be agreeing with him completely. -- Washington Post



Gubser does a masterly job of introducing string theory in simple terms and without using math. His goal is not to convert people to the cause but to help them better understand the ideas. Cars on a freeway, the vibration of piano strings, and buoys in the ocean are among the examples from everyday life used to explain difficult concepts. This concise yet clear introduction to a conceptually difficult topic is recommended for lay readers in physics and for popular science collections. -- Library Journal



This is an excellent introduction to string theory for those who are looking for a highly academic explanation. . . . For those new to string theory, this book is full of information and humor and will help readers see the universe in an entirely new way. -- ForeWord



You will probably finish the book more confused than when you started, but in the best possible way: with profound questions and a desire to learn more. -- New Scientist



What sets this book apart is that it has been written by one of the foremost experts on the subject. Many of the analogies from everyday life used to explain concepts from string theory are both original and very communicative. . . . I would recommend The Little Book of String Theory even to seasoned researchers in the field. This is a thought-provoking book. With explanations offered in simple words, imagination can fly faster and perhaps lead to new and unexplored areas in the quest for the fundamental theory. -- Times Higher Education



The Little Book of String Theory succeeds in its mission to carry readers through the tangle of ideas to the intellectual loose ends that physicists love. -- Fred Bortz, Philadelphia Inquirer



But how do we non-mathematicians sort frayed ends from tight theory? Read Steven S. Gubser's book. It's clear, concise, turns formulas into words and leaves readers informed, if still incredulous, at the ability of great minds to imagine the unimaginable. -- Leigh Dayton, Australian



There is much in this book I did not understand, but I've seen plenty of popular physics books over the last few years. This is the first one in a long time that I both wanted to read and finished; it's full of fresh material. -- Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution blog



With Gubser as our guide science starts to seem less like the exclusive domain of the brainy, and more like a window into the universe that is open for everyone. -- Glenn Dallas, San Francisco Book Review



[T]his book is a concise survey of advanced ideas in particle physics and string theory. But it is also true that every single concept is explained in a very simple and accurate way. This makes the book, while without errors from a physicist's point of view, accessible to a wide range of readers. -- Farhang Loran, Mathematical Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"This is an engaging and concise introduction to the main ideas in string theory. Gubser gives us a quick tour of the basic laws of physics as we understand them today, and then demonstrates how string theory seeks to go beyond them. He serves as an artful and attentive guide, as the reader explores the mysteries of quantum mechanics, black holes, strings, branes, supersymmetry, and extra dimensions in the pages of this book."--Juan Maldacena, Institute for Advanced Study

"Steve Gubser has written an engaging and thought-provoking account of what was achieved in physics in the last century and how physicists are seeking to go farther in the ambitious framework known as string theory. This is one of the most thoughtful books on this much-discussed topic, and readers will find much to ponder."--Edward Witten, Institute for Advanced Study

"This book offers a very nice short introduction to some of the basic ideas and implications of string theory. Gubser knows his subject."--John H. Schwarz, coauthor of Special Relativity: From Einstein to Strings

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (February 8, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691142890
• ISBN-13: 978-0691142890
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #109,428 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Mathematical Physics
  • #98 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Quantum Theory

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Acquire the Nomenclature, May 28, 2010

By 

J. Brian Watkins (Laie, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Little Book of String Theory (Science Essentials) (Hardcover)

I quite enjoyed Dr. Gubser's effort to explain in words what can only make sense in higher mathematics. Cutting edge physics is, in this layperson's opinion, a mess of theories premised on ideas that nobody has even begun to figure out how to prove. The author effectively uses simile and metaphor to illustrate an exceptionally difficult topic. As an attorney whose scientific quest came to a crashing halt in second semester Calculus, I think I understood his argument that modern physics is like pre-Mendeleevian chemistry. We are finding all manner of new particles and ideas regarding their relationships and interactions but have not yet found a framework to make sense of the new discoveries as did the Periodic Table of Elements to chemistry. Now, that idea I can understand; not since Dr. Michio Kaku's book on Hyperspace have I encountered an author who is both willing and able to bring such thorny ideas into focus.

If you pick up this book and think you'll even begin to understand string theory--try again. However, my understanding of the field advanced more from this book than from any of the other general science offerings out there. While challenging, it was much easier to read and to understand than any textbook or scientific paper. I believe that anyone who truly masters a field of understanding can teach it to anyone else--the ability to teach is a measure of the teacher's understanding. I sympathize with those who say that the field cannot be taught without equations; however, that should not prevent the physicists from making an attempt to do so and I felt that Dr. Gubser succeeded admirably in breaking some new ground with this book.

That said, it can always be done better and if we ever hope to redirect the youth of tomorrow away from JDs and MBAs into a life of discovery that can truly make a difference, then readers should wholeheartedly endorse general science offerings such as this Little Book of String Theory. Rather than quibble about whether the book should have gone for depth over breadth, whether it should have attempted more mathematical explanations--I hope that more physicists and publishers will take up the challenge.

I like to imagine a world where gravity was as understood and as easy to manipulate as electricity--they are both forces that mystified observers before yielding secrets to the scientists, we just have to keep exploring and that was the spirit I choose to take from this wonderful little book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An introduction to string theory, June 30, 2011

By 

Rama Rao "Rama" (Annandale, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Little Book of String Theory (Science Essentials) (Hardcover)

This book starts with a brief introduction to the basic laws of physics, and the search for an ultimate theory to explain the physical reality. When the author starts describing the string theory, things get complicated. The reader must bear in mind that this is not an easy field to appreciate since it involves multi-dimensions of space and one time dimension; string theory has 26 dimensions, and superstring theory has 10 dimensions. Besides this, the fundamental particles exist as different vibrations of strings in multi spacetime. It is hard to envision how a four dimensional space would look like, and it would be even harder to appreciate the subject given the amount of mathematics that goes into constructing the theory. Although the book doesn't involve any mathematics but the author does his best to make the difficult subject interesting.

A brief summary of the book is as follows: In string theory, the myriad of fundamental particle types is replaced by a single fundamental building block, a string. These strings can be closed, like loops, or open, like a hair. A string is infinitely thin and has an infinitesimal length of 10e(-34) meters. As the string moves through time it traces out a tube or a sheet (the two-dimensional string worldsheet). Furthermore, the string is free to vibrate, and different vibrational modes of the string represent the different particle types. The particles known in nature are classified according to their spin into bosons (integer spin) or fermions (odd half integer spin). The bosons carry forces, for example, the photon carries electromagnetic force; the gluon carries the strong nuclear force, and the graviton carries gravitational force. Fermions make up the matter like the electron or the quark. The string theory described bosons, it does not describe fermions. By introducing supersymmetry to string theory, we can obtain a new theory that describes both bosons and fermions: This is the theory of superstrings. This theory requires that there must be a special kind of symmetry called supersymmetry, which means for every boson (particle that transmits a force) there is a corresponding fermion (particle that makes up matter). But the problem with this theory is that there are five different superstring theories that display no mathematical inconsistencies and seem to explain bosons and fermions. It turns out that these five are different aspects of one single theory called M theory. This theory is also viewed as an 11 dimensional theory that looks 10 dimensions in spacetime, and propose a membrane as opposed to a string as the fundamental building block. The 11th dimension of the string expands infinitely into a floating membrane. According to this theory, our universe exists on a floating membrane, along with infinite parallel universes on their own membranes. Calculations also suggest that gravity might "leak" into our membrane from another nearby membrane. Thus, accounting for its relatively weak force in comparison to the other three forces (weak nuclear force, strong nuclear force, and electromagnetic force.) One would like to question how could a superstring theory with ten spacetime dimensions turn into a supergravity theory with eleven spacetime dimensions? The duality relations between two superstring quantities relate very different theories; they equate large distance of one theory with small distance of another theory, and exchange strong coupling of one theory with weak coupling of another theory. This seems to suggest that there is another fundamental theory lurking behind this mystery that holds the key for physical reality. Another interesting feature is the compactification of six spaces (out of nine) to allow three spatial dimensions of our world, also lead to the generation of all the known particles of matter.

The author notes three existing problems in physics by M theory; the tension in merging gravity and quantum physics; how strings vibrate and move in spacetime; and the evolution of spacetime from mathematical descriptions of strings. The greatest difficulties in unifying general relativity and quantum physics are due to the concept of renormalizabilty. When an electron is probed very close to it by an electric field, it splits into an electron and positron and a photon. The process multiplies due to its quantum physical uncertainties, and continues to form more photons and a cloud of progeny (virtual particles). The amazing thing is that you can keep track of this multiplicity of particles through renormalization, a mathematical method that tracks them all. The process also reduces (normalizes) the infinite mass and infinite charge of the electron (in the above picture) to its characteristic charge and mass. The trouble with gravitons is that you can't renormalize the cloud of virtual gravitons that surround them. For instance, quantum physical calculation of the force between two gravitons becomes infinite. But unlike particles, strings also respond to one another like gravitons, but they do not form a cloud of virtual particles. This is because the particle interactions occur at a single point of spacetime (at zero distance between the interacting particles) leading to infinities. In string theory, the strings collide over a small but finite distance, and the string breaks smoothly over a distance. Thus we can combine quantum mechanics and gravity, and string excitation that carries the gravitational force with minimal problems.

Another interesting concept that emerges from superstring-graviton discussion is the concept of spacetime itself. Although the superstring theory predicts gravitons from flat spacetime physics (classical physics) alone, but string theory also predicts the Einstein equation will be obeyed by a curved spacetime in which strings propagate. Actually the theory adds an infinite series of corrections to the theory of gravity. At distance scales much larger than a string, these corrections are small. But as the distance scale gets smaller, these corrections become larger until the Einstein equation no longer adequately describes the result. This illustrates that the spacetime is not fundamental according to superstring theory, but it emerges only at large distance scales or weak coupling. This has a far reaching philosophical implication about the nature of physical reality as we understand from our interaction with spacetime and matter.

1. The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
2. The Shape of Inner Space: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
3. String Theory and M-Theory: A Modern Introduction

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Physics Book!, September 6, 2011

By 

PaulG "PG" (Bristow, VA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Little Book of String Theory (Science Essentials) (Hardcover)

I bought this book a long time ago and I can still remember things from it during casual conversations. I sound so smart! hahaha. But really, this is a great book for anyone that wants to learn about String Theory.