The Universe Before the Big Bang: Cosmology and String Theory (Astronomers' Universe) [Hardcover]

Maurizio Gasperini (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2008 | ISBN-10: 3540744193 | ISBN-13: 978-3540744191 | Edition: 1

Terms such as "expanding Universe", "big bang", and "initial singularity", are nowadays part of our common language. The idea that the Universe we observe today originated from an enormous explosion (big bang) is now well known and widely accepted, at all levels, in modern popular culture. But what happens to the Universe before the big bang? And would it make any sense at all to ask such a question? In fact, recent progress in theoretical physics, and in particular in String Theory, suggests answers to the above questions, providing us with mathematical tools able in principle to reconstruct the history of the Universe even for times before the big bang. In the emerging cosmological scenario the Universe, at the epoch of the big bang, instead of being a "new born baby" was actually a rather "aged" creature in the middle of its possibly infinitely enduring evolution. The aim of this book is to convey this picture in non-technical language accessibile also to non-specialists. The author, himself a leading cosmologist, draws attention to ongoing and future observations that might reveal relics of an era before the big bang.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews: What happens to the big bang singularity within string theory? Did time have a beginning? These and other pre-eminent questions, whose implications go far beyond the boundaries of physics and even of science, lie at the forefront of today's research in theoretical particle physics and cosmology. Maurizio Gasperini succeeds in this book in drawing a thorough - yet very accessible and captivating - panorama of the various answers that have so far emerged to those basic questions, and of the cosmological observations which may soon allow a stringent test of our most advanced theoretical ideas. Gabriele Veneziano, Co-founder of String Theory "Gasperini … describes how string theory can be used to describe a pre-big-bang era that gives birth to a big bang, resolving dilemmas of standard cosmology and predicting a testable remnant of gravitational radiation that should pervade the universe now. … Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates." (M. Dickinson, Choice, Vol. 46 (7), March, 2009) "This book is both lucid and comprehensive. … the book’s basic material derives from the author’s university lectures and seminars, its stated aim now is to make the topic accessible to a readership with typically no more than a knowledge of high-school physics. … If you are interested in what String Theory has to offer cosmology, and are prepared to put some effort into finding out … this could be a useful text for you." (Dave Pike, The Observatory, Vol. 129 (1210), June, 2009) "This book grew out of a series of lectures and seminars held over several years in various Italian universities. … The book is addressed, in particular, to all those readers with at least a basic knowledge of physics … but not necessarily equipped with an academic scientific background. … this book is detailed enough to enable the reader to understand the most recent cosmological models, the key underlying ideas and how they can be tested using the experimental tools provided by current technology." (Roland Carchon, Belgian Physical Society Magazine, Issue 2, June, 2009)

From the Back Cover

Terms such as "expanding Universe", "big bang", and "initial singularity", are nowadays part of our common language. The idea that the Universe we observe today originated from an enormous explosion (big bang) is now well known and widely accepted, at all levels, in modern popular culture. But what happens to the Universe before the big bang? And would it make any sense at all to ask such a question? In fact, recent progress in theoretical physics, and in particular in String Theory, suggests answers to the above questions, providing us with mathematical tools able in principle to reconstruct the history of the Universe even for times before the big bang. In the emerging cosmological scenario the Universe, at the epoch of the big bang, instead of being a "new born baby" was actually a rather "aged" creature in the middle of its possibly infinitely enduring evolution. The aim of this book is to convey this picture in non-technical language accessible also to non-specialists. The author, himself a leading cosmologist, draws attention to ongoing and future observations that might reveal relics of an era before the big bang.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 219 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (September 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3540744193
• ISBN-13: 978-3540744191
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #129,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > Italian
  • #66 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Mathematical Physics

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoy yourself reading a well-written book on Cosmology!, March 26, 2009

By 

Carla Coppola (Bari, Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Universe Before the Big Bang: Cosmology and String Theory (Astronomers' Universe) (Hardcover)

"The Universe before the Big Bang: cosmology and string theory" gives an informative popular description of modern cosmology together with the application of String Theory to this fascinating area of research. The first part gives a broad description of General Relativity and the Standard Cosmological Model; thereafter the author takes a detailed look at the strengths and weaknesses of this cosmological model. The inflationary model and the basics of string theory are then introduced, whereby the author succeeds in engendering a pleasant tension that culminates in the description of quantum cosmology and latest theoretical ideas in cosmology. But the book is not only theoretical: Where appropriate, e.g. in the chapter on gravitational waves, the reader is given interesting insight into Earth- and space-based experiments, nicely revealing the links between physical theories and their potential validation.

Hard to believe, and unlike other popular books on this topic, there are no equations in this book; this, together with the presence of cartoons and useful diagrams, gives the nonspecialist easy access to exciting cutting-edge science, from String Theory to Inflation and Brane Universes. Occasional historical excursions into the evolution of cosmological models add to the pleasure of reading this book.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Avoiding "singularity", but.. be warned., February 18, 2009

By 

Wojciech Langer (Toronto, Ontario) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Universe Before the Big Bang: Cosmology and String Theory (Astronomers' Universe) (Hardcover)

New cosmological solutions (models for the Universe that were not contemplated by general relativity) are suggested by physicist Gabriele Veneziano in collaboration with the author. Therefore, just to simplify, we read the Big Bang took place, but it did not involved a moment of infinite density, and inflation took place before not after Big Bang. Such conclusion can be obtained by quantum loop approach. But here we have the hazarded guesses by using symmetries of quantum strings - time did not have a a beginning and will not have an end. Such scenario is called "symmetry of time reversal" where dilation field plays the role. Mentioned is as well "ekpyriotic" model based on strings (for details check excellent: "Endless Universe" by Steinhardt and Turok where they did much better job explaining riddles of standard inflationary model vs. string models).

Fascinating topics indeed. Unfortunately I tend to agree with the first reviewer (quote): "this is not a book written in non-technical language as the publisher claims". It is more than popular dissertation being closer to scientific presentation, where just a few plottings and illustrations are difficult to understand. I often struggled reading verbal descriptions of math equations (for example: "An expansion of the partition function in a series of higher-genus world sheets thus becomes an expansion in powers of the exponential of the dilation, exp Æ"). I would clearly prefer math formulas (when not too complicated) rather than "textural" approach. Author chose rather cumbersome way to explain differences between Einstein's and string geometry describing and picturing evolution of the spacial radius R and horizon radius c/H for a model of Universe (nothing to mention that concepts of both: spacial and horizon radius, are hard to grasp). Same relates to graphs picturing frequency and energy density of gravitational background radiation, where log scale is introduced, but text refers to straight numbers - confusing for inexperienced reader.

Lack of glossary of terms is hugely disappointing. Buy this book only if you are a die-hard cosmology follower. Otherwise I strongly recommend easier, greatly illustrated (in colors) and compact article from Scientific American magazine: "Was the big bang really the beginning of time?" by Gabriele Veneziano.

Anyway, lots depends on Planck space mission. It may or may not confirm/reject quantum string models, even wraparound models. Time will tell.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Big Bang was not the origin of time, January 5, 2009

By 

Jaume Puigbo Vila "cosmos fan" (Barcelona, Spain) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Universe Before the Big Bang: Cosmology and String Theory (Astronomers' Universe) (Hardcover)

This is a fascinating book showing the possibility that the Big Bang looses "its rather mystical role as the beginning of everything, to become a more modest beginning of the current phase of the Universe ", as the author claims in the Conclusion.

With an introduction to String Theory, its duality symmetry and its dilation field, Gasperini portrays a pre Big Bang scenario which avoids the singularity of the Big Bang. Although this is a mathematical theory, it could be sustained experimentally in the next 20 years when better gravitational wave devices (the interferometer formed by three LISA satellites in an equilateral triangle with a side of 5 million km, for example) are constructed, as the spectrum of a cosmic background of gravitons predicted by this theory is different from the classical inflationary theories. Other possible experimental verifications are discussed, among them the author claims that the still unknown seed of the cosmological magnetic fields could be explained with his theory. A further possibility is that the dilation field is a plausible candidate to explain dark energy.

However, this is not a book written in non-technical language as the publisher claims. You probably need at least a degree in physics to follow most of its arguments. This is the reason I rate it only with three stars.