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Loop Quantum Gravity for Everyone
Loop quantum gravity is one of the main contenders to unify Einstein's general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, therefore providing a quantum theory of gravity. If these words do not mean much to you, do not worry, we will define them in simple terms. This book describes loops quantum gravity and its applications to cosmology, black holes and spin foams without using formulas. It is concise and has a light style that makes for easy reading yet covering many of the cutting-edge developments in the field. It also addresses some of the controversies that surround these topics as they are incomplete science.
92 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 3, 2020
Though the title says this book is for everyone, it certainly is not. To be honest I am still not sure who are intended readers of this book. This is an extremely terse book that tries to offer a very basic outline of Loop Quantum Gravity and its goal. If its readers are supposed to be the lay public then I have to say it has failed with its motive. Two of the characteristics of 'Books for Laypeople' are analogy and picture. It lacks both. It uses a lot of technical terms without explanation and analogy as if the readers are already familiar with these terms. First two or three chapters are a little better though.
I don’t recommend this to anyone interested in getting a picture of Loop Quantum Gravity(LQG). I believe there are certainly some better non technical books, especially I am looking forward to start Quantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe by Jim Baggott soon.
The authors of this book do work in LQG and they have a technical book for undergraduates named A First Course in Loop Quantum Gravity. I have some plan to go through the book but before that I have to learn some advanced Mathematics
I don’t recommend this to anyone interested in getting a picture of Loop Quantum Gravity(LQG). I believe there are certainly some better non technical books, especially I am looking forward to start Quantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe by Jim Baggott soon.
The authors of this book do work in LQG and they have a technical book for undergraduates named A First Course in Loop Quantum Gravity. I have some plan to go through the book but before that I have to learn some advanced Mathematics
January 22, 2023
🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑
Definitely not for everyone. It'll take more than a smattering of math, science, and possibly history, to unravel the mysteries of this book. Divided into mercifully short chapters packed with physicksy buzzwords, it nevertheless inspires to investigate further. Blatantly written by foreign language speakers (it takes one to know one!), it regrettably hasn't been edited to purge the linguistic idiosyncrasies. Styled in the familiar LaTeX aesthetic, it retains all the flavor of self-published course notes.
After bringing the reader up to speed on the prior physics and the unification problem, it describes LQG and some of its consequences (e.g., LQG favors a Big Bounce over a Big Bang, and provides an alternative to the traditional inflation hypothesis). It mentions some possible avenues for probing the granularity of space-time, and finishes off by addressing a couple points of criticism, loftily extracted from all the "prejudices" of those who "are not very well informed and jump to conclusions".
As it turns out, the fluctuations across the cosmic microwave background map only appear random. This apparent randomness belies a remarkable structure, on which the quantum gravity model might leave an imprint. More accurate measurements of large-distance correlations in CMB anisotropies are required.
Definitely not for everyone. It'll take more than a smattering of math, science, and possibly history, to unravel the mysteries of this book. Divided into mercifully short chapters packed with physicksy buzzwords, it nevertheless inspires to investigate further. Blatantly written by foreign language speakers (it takes one to know one!), it regrettably hasn't been edited to purge the linguistic idiosyncrasies. Styled in the familiar LaTeX aesthetic, it retains all the flavor of self-published course notes.
After bringing the reader up to speed on the prior physics and the unification problem, it describes LQG and some of its consequences (e.g., LQG favors a Big Bounce over a Big Bang, and provides an alternative to the traditional inflation hypothesis). It mentions some possible avenues for probing the granularity of space-time, and finishes off by addressing a couple points of criticism, loftily extracted from all the "prejudices" of those who "are not very well informed and jump to conclusions".
As it turns out, the fluctuations across the cosmic microwave background map only appear random. This apparent randomness belies a remarkable structure, on which the quantum gravity model might leave an imprint. More accurate measurements of large-distance correlations in CMB anisotropies are required.
❝general relativity has a symmetry that the other theories do not have. Because it is a theory of geometry itself, until one solves it, that is, until one has a given geometry, the points of spacetime are all equivalent to each other and can be moved around freely. To give an analogy, consider that you are in the middle of the ocean far from the coast in a cloudy night. You cannot tell where your boat is. All points of the ocean are equivalent. You can move your boat around and everything will look the same. In that context “placing a geometry” would be being able to see the coast. Then the points of the ocean are not equivalent anymore, some are closer to the coast than others and you would notice if you move your boat around.❞
❝This book grew out of an EdX.org course one of us taught (the course is in Spanish with English subtitles).❞
❝If this book has piqued your curiosity for more detail, we also have a book at the undergraduate level that assumes little knowledge of physics, but the learning curve in it is steep!❞
December 16, 2020
Subpar overview. Writing is not great and content is not great. There are better options out there.
February 28, 2022
No sé si alguna vez he dicho (es posible que alguna sí) que a mí la física del tiempo (y, consecuentemente, la del espacio) me apasiona. Los autores de este libro son especialistas en quantum loop gravity (QLG, gravedad cuántica de bucles -o lazos, como la llaman los autores, uruguasho y argentino) y han hecho contribuciones notables a esta disciplina.
Y, sin embargo, el libro no me transmite nada. Mucho de "esto es complejo pero es como si..." y luego nada, ningún ejemplo que aclare las cosas, que dé ideas, analogías, metáforas. Me he quedado bastante desilusionado por la poca capacidad de los autores, que como físicos son sobresalientes, para transmitir estos conceptos simplificados. Una lástima. Me he quedado con ganas. Dos estrellas y media que redondeo a tres. Mi autor favorito en esta disciplina sigue siendo Rovelli.
Y, sin embargo, el libro no me transmite nada. Mucho de "esto es complejo pero es como si..." y luego nada, ningún ejemplo que aclare las cosas, que dé ideas, analogías, metáforas. Me he quedado bastante desilusionado por la poca capacidad de los autores, que como físicos son sobresalientes, para transmitir estos conceptos simplificados. Una lástima. Me he quedado con ganas. Dos estrellas y media que redondeo a tres. Mi autor favorito en esta disciplina sigue siendo Rovelli.
August 22, 2023
This is a short one hundred page book that introduces Loop Quantum Gravity (LQG) without using the mathematics involved. After two brief chapters on general relatvity and quantum mechanics, writers went straight to introduce the notion of spin networks penetrating surfaces to exhibit quantum states for developing a theory of quantum gravity. The authors devote the next two chapters on the applications of LQG. One application is using the spin network to study the relation between the entropy and the area of the event horizon of a black hole. The other application is Loop Quantum Cosmology that provides its own bouncing model of the Big Bang inflation. There is also a clear chapter on the path integral approach of spin foam by Rovelli.
If you need a small booklet on LQG for student to read before you begin your course on LQG, this book would be a good intro
If you need a small booklet on LQG for student to read before you begin your course on LQG, this book would be a good intro
July 25, 2022
Como dicen en la contraportada es una aproximación, tan aproximada que si queremos saber más detalles tendremos que buscar en otro libro.
https://liblit.com/rodolfo-gambini-y-...
https://liblit.com/rodolfo-gambini-y-...
September 18, 2022
Un excelente libro para iniciarse en la Gravedad Cuántica de Lazos y para todo público. Muy recomendable.
October 23, 2023
Muy sencillo y accesible a todo el mundo pero establece unas buenas (pero muy escasas) bases de esta teoría
August 18, 2024
Una bona introducció a la teoria de llaços, ben escrita i accessible. Acabes volent-ne saber més, però sabent que la complicació és gran i és difícil, per al que no és físic, avançar més enllà.
April 9, 2022
El libro será para todos, pero no es para que todos se enteren. Faltan explicaciones y tratar de hacer las cosas fáciles. Es muy breve y no da tiempo nada más que para dar pinceladas superficiales.
Sabe a poco.
Sabe a poco.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews