The Bigger Bang

by James E. Lidsey

Overview

James Lidsey deftly steers us along a journey back in time to the very origin of the universe. We are introduced to the fascinating ideas scientists are currently developing to explain what happened in the first billion, billion, billion, billionth of a second—the 'inflationary' epoch. Along the way Lidsey reviews the latest ideas on superstrings, parallel universes, and the ultimate fate of our universe. Lucid analogies, clear and concise prose, and straight-forward language make this book a delight to read. James E. Lidsey holds a Royal Society University Fellowship at Queen Mary and Westfield College. He has been awarded the Valerie Myerscough Prize in Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy as a doctoral student. He was later honored by the Gravity Research the Fifth Prize and named one of the 100 people most likely to play an influential role over the next decade by the Sunday Times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521012737
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	05/02/2002
Series:	Canto
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	148
Product dimensions:	5.47(w) x 8.54(h) x 0.35(d)

About the Author

James E. Lidsey is a Royal Society University Research Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London. His research interests focus on the very early universe, especially inflation and the cosmological aspects of superstring theory. In 1998, he appeared in the Sunday Times “Hot 100” list of promising academics.

Table of Contents

1. The structure of the universe; 2. Why does the sun shine?; 3. The expansion of the universe; 4. Space, time and gravity; 5. Particles and forces; 6. Grand unification, higher dimensions and superstrings; 7. The Big Bang; 8. Beyond the Big Bang; 9. The inflating universe; 10. The eternal universe; 11. Black holes; 12. The birth of the universe.

Editorial Reviews

"With simple metaphors glossed with lucid explanations, Lidsey opens to the general reader the darker paradoxes of big bang cosmology...Readers terrified of formulas will count Lidsey as a friend as he guides them painlessly through the fundamental assumptions of the big bang—and then beyond, to the riddles (such as thermal equilibrium) that require modification of the original theory...for the sheer exhilaration of glimpsing the farthest horizons of science, look no further." Booklist

"A fresh, engaging introduction to the cosmos....The Bigger Bang opens to the general reader some of the most profound and complex ideas with which the world's best scientists currently struggle." Science News

From the Publisher

Explores, for a general audience, theories of what happened in the first microseconds of the creation of the universe. Lindsey (Queen Mary and Westfield College, U. of London) covers topics ranging from superstrings, parallel universes, black holes, and the ultimate fate of the universe, and argues that the big bang was even bigger than first presumed. Contains many illustrations but no bibliography. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews