Physics: New Frontiers

by Scientific American

In the world of physics, very little in the universe is what it first appears to be. And science fiction has imagined some pretty wild ideas about how the universe could work – from hidden extra dimensions in Interstellar to life as a mental projection in The Matrix. But these imaginings seem downright tame compared with the mind-bending science now coming out of physics and astronomy, and in this eBook, New Frontiers, we look at the strange and fascinating discoveries shaping (and reshaping) the field today. In the world of astrophysics, the weirdness begins at the moment of creation. In “The Black Hole at the Beginning of Time,” the authors discuss theories of what might have come before the big bang. Could our 3-D universe have sprung from the formation of a black hole in a 4-D cosmos? The math maybe. Later, in “The Giant Bubbles of the Milky Way,” the authors describe massive structures dubbed “Fermi bubbles” at its center – structures that no one noticed until recently. Technological innovations make much of this new science possible, as we see again in “Neutrinos at the Ends of the Earth,” where 5,000-odd sensors frozen deep within a cubic kilometer of ice in Antarctica aim to catch neutrinos in order to study distant cosmic phenomena. Scientists are also dissecting molecules with the most powerful x-ray laser in the world, as explored in “The Ultimate X-ray Machine.” Even our most fundamental notions of what reality is are up for debate, as examined in “Does the Multiverse Really Exist?” and the aptly named “What Is Real?” in which the authors question whether particles are indeed material things at all. While all of this abstraction might seem like a fun exercise in mental gymnastics, living things must also abide by the laws of physics, which, according to “The Limits of Intelligence,” may prevent our brains from evolving further. Then again, as we’ve learned, things could be different than they appear…

Genres: Physics

193 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 22, 2017

About the author

Scientific American , as an institutional author, is a popular science magazine founded by Rufus M. Porter and controlled by Nature Publishing Group since autumn, 2008. Mariette DiChristina has been editor-in-chief since December, 2009.

Reviews

[Shantanu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers variety of topics. I never knew 2-D black holes are a thing! Fascinating!

[Nicolas Name · Rating 2 out of 5]

Concluding essay was not about physics, but a rather bad essay on human intelligence, which lays the groundworks for abusing “non-intelligent” animals. The author of that essay seemingly takes delight in communicating how dumb cows are, which is just something people who eat abused and violently violated cows would write.

Outside of that, the essays that got the largest share of time where not written by physicists, but by a philosopher. It wasn’t a particularly bad essay, but it was misplaced in its inclusion in this set of essays. I love reading philosophy, but I personally was not and am not interested to know what a philosopher has to say about quantum mechanics, I want to know what scientists, particularly physicists, working in the field have to say about quantum mechanics. An essay by philosopher on quantum mechanics, in a collection of essays called “Physics” is like reading an essay on deontology, Nietzsche, Hobbes, and Rawls by a physicists. It’s just misplaced.

[Lita Sam-Vargas · Rating 4 out of 5]

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This collection of essays by leading physicists spans all the interesting topics in current day physics, but unlike single author books, better reveals the considerable diversity of opinion on the usual hot topics such as resolving quantum field theory with general relativity. The unique last chapter on the limits of physical human brain development, and therefore intelligence is itself, is itself worth the price of admission. The great Scientific American illustrations are also a plus.

[Lillian I Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Readable and informative

Fun for the curious mind! Covers a wide variety of topics, many of which will surprise and challenge. Read on

[Mack · Rating 5 out of 5]

These Scientific American books, for me, are full of new concepts and vocabulary, new experiments and new theories.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable book. Could have delved more into my favorite topic of entangled particles, though :-)