Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang -- Rewriting Cosmic History Reprint Edition

by Paul J. Steinhardt (Author), Neil Turok (Author)

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Two world-renowned scientists present an audacious new vision of the cosmos that “steals the thunder from the Big Bang theory.” —Wall Street Journal

The Big Bang theory—widely regarded as the leading explanation for the origin of the universe—posits that space and time sprang into being about 14 billion years ago in a hot, expanding fireball of nearly infinite density. Over the last three decades the theory has been repeatedly revised to address such issues as how galaxies and stars first formed and why the expansion of the universe is speeding up today. Furthermore, an explanation has yet to be found for what caused the Big Bang in the first place.

In Endless Universe, Paul J. Steinhardt and Neil Turok, both distinguished theoretical physicists, present a bold new cosmology. Steinhardt and Turok “contend that what we think of as the moment of creation was simply part of an infinite cycle of titanic collisions between our universe and a parallel world” (Discover). They recount the remarkable developments in astronomy, particle physics, and superstring theory that form the basis for their groundbreaking “Cyclic Universe” theory. According to this theory, the Big Bang was not the beginning of time but the bridge to a past filled with endlessly repeating cycles of evolution, each accompanied by the creation of new matter and the formation of new galaxies, stars, and planets.

Endless Universe provides answers to longstanding problems with the Big Bang model, while offering a provocative new view of both the past and the future of the cosmos. It is a “theory that could solve the cosmic mystery” (USA Today).

Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang -- Rewriting Cosmic History

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

As has happened many times in the history of science, just when we finally are able to cozy up to an idea like the big bang that initially was hard to like, let alone understand, another even more mind-bending one comes along. Steinhardt and Turok, cosmologists at Princeton and Cambridge, respectively, present their case that string theory gives a more complete account of our origins; in this account, the big bang came about through the collision of two membrane-thick strings called "branes." Our universe sits on one brane, which floats parallel to the other, unseen one. Every few trillion years, the two branes approach each other; when they collide, a flash of radiation annihilates everything in both, kick-starting the creation process all over again. According to the authors, this solves certain problems with the standard big bang theory, such as inflation, dark matter and dark energy. General readers will be able to follow the authors' clearly laid out, equation-free arguments. Their new theory has little chance of being confirmed experimentally in the foreseeable future, but many who eventually embraced the big bang will doubtless find the notion of cyclic universes and parallel worlds attractive. Illus. (June 5)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* In the big bang, most physicists hear the violent beginning of everything. For theoretical physicists Steinhardt and Turok, however, that bang is but an echo, resounding within a bold new cyclical theory of the cosmos. To be sure, this revolutionary theory (dubbed ekpyrosis) shares much with the standard inflationary version of the big bang. The authors themselves have done much to ratify that generally accepted account of the universe's origins. But their new ekpyrotic paradigm tells a radically unorthodox story about what caused the bang, what happened in the first second after it occurred, and what consequences it will yet produce in the far-distant future. Invoking a sophisticated version of string theory, the authors argue that our universe began not in quantum nothingness but rather in the collision of "braneworlds" sliding together as remnants of an exhausted earlier universe. Moreover, while the regnant theory of the big bang predicts the eventual extinction of the universe, the dynamics of ekpyrosis promise a new beginning, a new cosmos--a trillion years from now. Professional discussion of the authors' daring proposal has scarcely begun. But thanks to this wonderfully lucid book, armchair physicists will understand much of the exciting debate now taking shape at the very frontiers of science. Bryce Christensen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product details

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; Reprint edition (June 3, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767915011
ISBN-13: 978-0767915014
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.7 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 52 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,866,872 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1750 in Books > Science & Math > Astronomy & Space Science > Cosmology
- #20015 in Books > Science & Math > Physics
- #47559 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics

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Competition to the inflationary model

ByJerry Lisanttion November 3, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is about the ekpyrotic model for the evolution of our universe. It states that about every trillion years or so our universe recycles itself.As the authors say in their glossary "ekpyrosis: a collision between two branes that produces a flat, expanding universe filled with matter and radiation, with a nearly scale-invariant distribution of density inhomogeneities." It is a competing theory to the better known inflationary model of the universe. Both the authors are practicing cosmologists with Steinhardt at Princeton and Turok at the Perimeter Institute. Steinhardt made early contributions to the inflationary model in the early 1980's and is therefore well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the inflationary model. This is a well written book and was a pleasure to read. If you are interested in cosmology this book is a must for you. The level of this book is such that any interested high school student should have no trouble reading this book.

This book is written in a casual style and mentions how the authors first got the idea for their theory while they were both attending a lecture on the overview of string theory. They both went up to the speaker after his talk and asked him questions about strings and branes. Later the authors met at a small physics conference in Finland and started to work out the details their theory. The book describes the various questions that must be overcome such as flatness and thermodynamics. In the past various cyclic models of the universe have been proposed but they were later shown to have flaws. In careful precise wording they explain how they were able to overcome all the previous questions with their new model.

As expected they describe very well the inflationary model since the book compares the two models closely. One of the main differences being that their model has small if any primordial gravitational waves which have been in the news since March 2014 because of the BICEP2 cosmic microwave radiation data which initially claimed to have observed these gravitational waves to only latter say that their results could also be explained by galactic dust. The physics community awaits further data on this subject.

Steinhardt has been a public vocal critic of inflation going so far to say that it isn't even science since one can get just about any prediction from the theory since it is so general in nature. This is also discussed in the book.

My disagreement with the theory is that it is based on string theory and brane theory. There have been no experimental tests that have every shown that string and brane theory have anything to do with reality. There are two wonderful books that show the problems with string theory. They are Lee Smolin's "The Trouble with Physics" and Peter Woits "Not Even Wrong". If anything since this book was written string theory has lost some of the luster it had back in 2007. Nevertheless I would recommend this book since it is quite educational and very well written.

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Close to Loving It, But Not Quite

ByJ. Backmanon March 9, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is a very good book both on the classical model of the Big Bang Theory and on the authors' alternative theory about how the universe began. I am not done with it, but I would say that unless you do not know the Big Bang Theory, you have to spend a lot of time listening to the theory you know before you get to the alternative one posited by the authors. Still, I am impressed by the detail, and by the notion of highly respected physicists being willing to challenge the accepted wisdom with an alternative scientific theory (no, not creationism or a non-scientific explanation). But again, unless you are new to the Big Bang Theory, you will have to read for a long time to get to the new theory and information.

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Illuminating,ahead of its time

ByFrederick Martelloon August 10, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Ahead of its time.

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Theories of the Cosmos

ByRonald E. Byerson May 17, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is one of the most well written, balanced, non mathematical descriptions of physical cosmology I've read. I recommend it for both lay readers and scientific readers. I gives an excellent qualitative explanation of aspects of M theory that can help students of M theory. It is heads and shoulders above other explanations of cosmology I have read. I highly recommend it.

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Fascinating alternative to the big bang

ByA. Chughtaion June 29, 2010

Verified Purchase

We change our clothes every day, we change our lives every now and then, but we seem to change our philosophical view on the universe twice a century. The more rapidly we develop tools that help us measure spans of the universe and look back further in time the more our views enhance or change. Endless Universe is so important because it recognizes how our views change with almost every new development. It looks ahead and asks the question "Hey, are we wrong? What if there wasn't a big bang? Did something else happen? What's this Guth's rabbit? How can we develop an alternate explanation in case something else really happened" which cogent evidence seems to indicate.
It's not the easiest book in the world to follow but it is Physics so what do you expect? But it is riveting and quite fascinating and worth a read.

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Incredible Book hands down

ByJindraMojoon December 18, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I am truely happy and even awe inspired to have encountered this text! I have read numerous books on particle cosmology, and this is the book I consider to be the core of my collection. It is right on the cutting edge, like discovery on the magnitude of discovering the Sun does not revolve around the Earth! And Steinhardt is one serious physics dude, no doubt. His past work is quoted practically everywhere, so have fun with his mind-bending book on what is to come . . .

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Interesting ideas

ByM. Shepherdon February 5, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book gives the history and details, in everyday language, of what may turn out to be the two leading theories of the universe.
At least so far. For all the hype about getting close to a "Theory Of Everything" over the last 30 or more years, I wouldn`t be
surprised if these were to eventually bite the dust as so many others have before. But still, the ideas presented are interesting.
And who knows, one of them might actually be right, or at least point in the direction of the right anwsers.
The book is well written, easy to understand, and in everyday language. A fun read.

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Interesting and informative

ByDaniel Riederon July 22, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Great book with lots of insight into the latest cosmological thinking. The authors have a way of saying things that make it clear even for a layperson. By providing their experiences and backgrounds, you feel the passion of the authors and understand why they can make cosmology interesting.

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Most recent customer reviews

They developed the cyclic theory.

The authors are both active in physics, astrophysics and cosmology and are disenchanted by the current popular big bang theory. They developed the cyclic theory.Read more

Published 7 months ago by Fascinated explorer

Published on June 13, 2015 by drkitsy

Great alternative view

Excellent book, gives a great look at an alternate view of the cosmos without being fantastical. I for one have always thought inflation was a little too contrived

Published on May 28, 2015 by Hukkleberry

High density of information

Excellent book on cosmology including a proposal to resolve the singularity at the big bang. There is a claim, that absence of B modes in the CMB data supports the cyclic model...Read more

Published on April 2, 2015 by S. L. Starr

Thought provoking

Published on December 20, 2014 by T. Egenberger

A good overview of the field and an explanation for their new theory.

Published on December 7, 2014 by Jarmo Ken Koskinen

Thourough book on the subject

It is an interesting book. It covers some hard to believe ideas which are yet to be proved if indeed they will ever be.

Published on March 31, 2014 by Roger Doger

Change your view of Reality

If you'd like to have your view of Reality changed, read this book.

Drs. Steinhardt and Turok, have diligently, step by step, presented an alternate view of the...Read more

Published on September 5, 2013 by Rabbi Michael Shevack

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