Time and Timelessness in Fundamental Physics and Cosmology


Book Description

This book offers a clear account of timelessness together with the discussion of temporality in fundamental physics and cosmology. The multi-disciplinary approach to the problem of time and timelessness shows the remarkable difference between pre-relativistic debates and current developments. This book thoroughly discusses notions of timelessness and time emerging in the most recent literature on Quantum Gravity, String Theory and Cosmology. The contributions explore, among many aspects, the historical-philosophical roots of the notions of temporality and atemporality, the role of mathematics in defining time and temporality with respect to both order relations and causality, approaches to quantum gravity and cosmology that make use of quantum fluids and condensate to approximate space–time in general relativity, time and timelessness in black holes and the problem of cosmological time in bouncing cosmologies. The novelty of this volume lies in the interaction among scientists, philosophers, and historians in exploring the nature of time and timelessness and the origin of these concepts. The book represents a valuable toolkit for researchers and graduate students in physics, cosmology, philosophy and the history of those fields.




The End of Time


Book Description

Richard Feynman once quipped that "Time is what happens when nothing else does." But Julian Barbour disagrees: if nothing happened, if nothing changed, then time would stop. For time is nothing but change. It is change that we perceive occurring all around us, not time. Put simply, time does not exist. In this highly provocative volume, Barbour presents the basic evidence for a timeless universe, and shows why we still experience the world as intensely temporal. It is a book that strikes at the heart of modern physics. It casts doubt on Einstein's greatest contribution, the spacetime continuum, but also points to the solution of one of the great paradoxes of modern science, the chasm between classical and quantum physics. Indeed, Barbour argues that the holy grail of physicists--the unification of Einstein's general relativity with quantum mechanics--may well spell the end of time. Barbour writes with remarkable clarity as he ranges from the ancient philosophers Heraclitus and Parmenides, through the giants of science Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, to the work of the contemporary physicists John Wheeler, Roger Penrose, and Steven Hawking. Along the way he treats us to enticing glimpses of some of the mysteries of the universe, and presents intriguing ideas about multiple worlds, time travel, immortality, and, above all, the illusion of motion. The End of Time is a vibrantly written and revolutionary book. It turns our understanding of reality inside-out.




The Singular Universe and the Reality of Time


Book Description

Roberto Mangabeira Unger and Lee Smolin argue for a revolution in our cosmological ideas. Ideal for non-scientists, physicists and cosmologists.







The Order of Time


Book Description

One of TIME’s Ten Best Nonfiction Books of the Decade "Meet the new Stephen Hawking . . . The Order of Time is a dazzling book." --The Sunday Times From the bestselling author of Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, Reality Is Not What It Seems, Helgoland, and Anaximander comes a concise, elegant exploration of time. Why do we remember the past and not the future? What does it mean for time to "flow"? Do we exist in time or does time exist in us? In lyric, accessible prose, Carlo Rovelli invites us to consider questions about the nature of time that continue to puzzle physicists and philosophers alike. For most readers this is unfamiliar terrain. We all experience time, but the more scientists learn about it, the more mysterious it remains. We think of it as uniform and universal, moving steadily from past to future, measured by clocks. Rovelli tears down these assumptions one by one, revealing a strange universe where at the most fundamental level time disappears. He explains how the theory of quantum gravity attempts to understand and give meaning to the resulting extreme landscape of this timeless world. Weaving together ideas from philosophy, science and literature, he suggests that our perception of the flow of time depends on our perspective, better understood starting from the structure of our brain and emotions than from the physical universe. Already a bestseller in Italy, and written with the poetic vitality that made Seven Brief Lessons on Physics so appealing, The Order of Time offers a profoundly intelligent, culturally rich, novel appreciation of the mysteries of time.




The Infinite History of NOW


Book Description

The development of theoretical physics can be seen as a continuous improvement of the models of space and time. In particular, the beginning of the 21st century brought a new vision into quantum physics: quantum particles move in space only, time measured with clocks is merely a numerical order of particles' motion. This so called "a-temporal" view of physics offers a radically new understanding of the micro and macro universe. On the basis of the notion of time as numerical order of material change, in this book the authors introduce suggestive unitary and holistic perspectives in the interpretation and explanation of several physical phenomena of contemporary physics. It is shown that the concept of time as a mathematical quantity measuring the numerical order of material changes resolves Zeno problems on motion, hypothetical travel into past, twin paradox of special relativity and allow new perspectives to be opened in the interpretation and explanation of Einstein-Podolski-Rosen experiment and of non-local correlations between subatomic particles. Moreover, a timeless description of the gravitational interaction and the idea of a timeless three-dimensional quantum vacuum as a fundamental bridge between gravity and quantum behaviour of matter are developed. Finally, in the second part of the book, after analysing the fundamental features of some relevant unitary theories of contemporary physics (such as superstring theory and loop quantum gravity) and making some considerations about being versus becoming and atomism versus monism in modelling physical reality at a fundamental level, it is shown that the replacement of the concept of time with the numerical order of material change provides a new suggestive interpretation of the fundamental unitary field theories opening the doors to a real "timeless theory of everything". The use of a simple and fluid language makes the book accessible to a wide reading public.




Cycles of Time


Book Description

From Nobel prize-winner Roger Penrose, this groundbreaking book is for anyone "who is interested in the world, how it works, and how it got here" (New York Journal of Books). Penrose presents a new perspective on three of cosmology’s essential questions: What came before the Big Bang? What is the source of order in our universe? And what cosmic future awaits us? He shows how the expected fate of our ever-accelerating and expanding universe—heat death or ultimate entropy—can actually be reinterpreted as the conditions that will begin a new “Big Bang.” He details the basic principles beneath our universe, explaining various standard and non-standard cosmological models, the fundamental role of the cosmic microwave background, the paramount significance of black holes, and other basic building blocks of contemporary physics. Intellectually thrilling and widely accessible, Cycles of Time is a welcome new contribution to our understanding of the universe from one of our greatest mathematicians and thinkers.




A Universe from Nothing


Book Description

This is a provocative account of the astounding new answers to the most basic philosophical question: Where did the universe come from and how will it end?




Until the End of Time


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A captivating exploration of deep time and humanity's search for purpose, from the world-renowned physicist and best-selling author of The Elegant Universe. "Few humans share Greene’s mastery of both the latest cosmological science and English prose." —The New York Times Until the End of Time is Brian Greene's breathtaking new exploration of the cosmos and our quest to find meaning in the face of this vast expanse. Greene takes us on a journey from the big bang to the end of time, exploring how lasting structures formed, how life and mind emerged, and how we grapple with our existence through narrative, myth, religion, creative expression, science, the quest for truth, and a deep longing for the eternal. From particles to planets, consciousness to creativity, matter to meaning—Brian Greene allows us all to grasp and appreciate our fleeting but utterly exquisite moment in the cosmos.