"The papers in this book -- contributed by such well-known figures as J. A. Wheeler, K. Thorne, and I. Prigogine -- investigate the uncharted territory at the boundary between relativity and quantum theory, where researchers are working hard to find some common ground for these two pillars of modern science. Also discussed are the latest experimental results that help guide the search for quantum gravity and quantum chaos. The unifying principle for the book lies in the cosmological implications arising from this research, which is conducted at the outer limits of physics." "Contents" The papers in this book -- contributed by such well-known figures as J. A. Wheeler, K. Thorne, and I. Prigogine -- investigate the uncharted territory at the boundary between relativity and quantum theory, where researchers are working hard to find some common ground for these two pillars of modern science. Also discussed are the latest experimental results that help guide the search for quantum gravity and quantum chaos. The unifying principle for the book lies in the cosmological implications arising from this research, which is conducted at the outer limits of physics.

In this fascinating book, John Charap offers a panoramic view of the physicist's world as the twenty-first century opens--a view that is entirely different from the one that greeted the twentieth century. We have learned that the universe is billions of galaxies larger than we imagined--and billions of years older. We know more about how it came to be and what it is. Because of physics, we live in a world of greater danger and more convenience, smaller particles and bigger ideas. Charap introduces these ideas but spares us the math behind them. After a review of the twentieth century's thorough transformation of physics, he checks in on the latest findings from particle physics, astrophysics, chaos theory, and cosmology. His tour includes ongoing efforts to find the universe's missing matter and to account for the first moments after the big bang. Taking readers right to the field's speculative edge, he explains how superstring theory may finally unite quantum mechanics with general relativity to produce a consistent quantum theory of gravity. Along the way, Charap poses the questions that continue to inspire research. Why is the universe flat? Why can't we forecast weather better? Can Schrodinger's cat really be simultaneously dead and alive? Why does fractal geometry keep showing up in strange places? Might spacetime have eleven dimensions? What does quantum mechanics mean about the nature of our world? In this book's pages, the nonphysicist will accept as commonsensical Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, and physicists can meet across specialties. Students can access physics' critical concepts, and poets can learn a new language to describe the universe's many wonders. Taking us from the ultraviolet catastrophe that undid the Newtonian world to tomorrow's Theory of Everything, Charap brings today's most fascinating science down to Earth, where we can all enjoy it.

This book is a journey through the cosmos in search of consciousness. We think consciously of what we think, feel and decide with our brain, but is our consciousness really unique? This theme takes us along an interesting journey through cosmology, relativity, particle physics, quantum physics, chaos theory, information theory, brain science, evolution, intelligent design, the origin and history of religion, the theory of the self, free will, and much more. The main theme of this book is the pantheism of Spinoza, our great compatriot. The scientific results of our time fully vindicate him, 300 years after his death. The book is a gesture of the natural sciences to the metaphysical without becoming too woolly.

Decoherence, a concept known only to few physicists when the first edition appeared in 1996, has since become firmly established experimentally and understood theoretically, as well as widely reported in the literature. The major consequences of decoherence are the emergence of "classicality" in general, superselection rules, the border line between microscopic and macroscopic behavior in molecules and field theory, the emergence of classical spacetime, and the appearance of quantum jumps. The most important new developments in this rapidly evolving field are included in the second edition of this book, which has become a standard reference on the subject. All chapters have been thoroughly revised and updated. New fields of application now addressed span chaos theory, quantum information, neuroscience, primordial fluctuations in cosmology, black holes and string theory, experimental tests, and interpretational issues. While the major part of the book is concerned with environmental decoherence derived from a universal Schrödinger equation, later chapters address related or competing methods, such as consistent histories, open system dynamics, algebraic approaches, and collapse models.

Does quantum mechanics show a connection between the human mind and the cosmos? Are our brains tuned into a "cosmic consciousness" that pervades the universe enabling us to make our own reality? Do quantum mechanics and chaos theory provide a place for God to act in the world without violating natural laws? Many popular books make such claims and argue that key developments in twentieth-century physics, such as the uncertainty principle and the butterfly effect, support the notion that God or a universal mind acts upon material reality. The author here examines these contentions in a carefully reasoned analysis of popular theories that seek to link spirituality to physics. Throughout the book, the author alternates his discussions of popular spirituality with a survey of what the findings of twentieth-century physics actually mean. Thus he offers the reader a useful synopsis of contemporary religious ideas as well as basic but sophisticated physics presented in layperson's terms (without equations). Of particular interest in this book is the author's discussion of a new kind of deism, which proposes a God who creates a universe with many possible pathways determined by chance, but otherwise does not interfere with the physical world or the lives of humans.

Theoretical physics is the study of simple and complex natural phenomena occurring in the universe using abstraction and mathematical models. There are myriad areas of research in theoretical physics that are actively being pursued in the world today like string theory, chaos theory, astrophysics, cosmology and biophysics. The pillars of modern theoretical physics are relativity theory and quantum mechanics. These help in understanding astronomical, cosmological phenomena as well as phenomena at the particle level. This book traces the progress of this field and highlights some of its key concepts and applications. Researchers and students in this field will find it a valuable text to stay updated with the latest developments across all areas of theoretical physics. It unfolds the innovative aspects of this field, which will be crucial for the progress of this discipline in the future.

Stenger alternates his discussions of popular spirituality with a survey of what the findings of 20th-century physics actually mean in laypersons terms--without equations.