Lorentzian Wormholes
From H.G. Wells to Star Trek, audiences have been captivated by the notions of time travel, time warps, space warps, and wornholes. But science fiction is not the only realm where these concepts thrive. An active group of general relativists and quantum field theorists has produced a considerable body of serious (thought admittedly speculative) mathematical and physical analyses of the wormhole system.Now, with this fascinating book, readers can explore in depth the science behind the science...
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From H.G. Wells to Star Trek, audiences have been captivated by the notions of time travel, time warps, space warps, and wornholes. But science fiction is not the only realm where these concepts thrive. An active group of general relativists and quantum field theorists has produced a considerable body of serious (thought admittedly speculative) mathematical and physical analyses of the wormhole system.Now, with this fascinating book, readers can explore in depth the science behind the science fiction. Drawing on pivotal work by Einstein, Wheeler, Morris, Thorne, Hawking, and others, Matt Visser charts the development and current state of Lorentzian wormhole physics. Dr. Visser shows that by pushing established physical theories to their limits, it is possible to deduce the physical properties of such exotica as wormholes and time travel. The physical framework he uses is derived from one of the major research frontiers of modern theoretical physics: quantum gravity-the intersection of classical Einstein gravity and quantum field theory.Physicists, students of general relativity, cosmology, quantum physics, or any interested reader with a background in physics wil find this a provocative introduction to an exciting and active topic of ongoing research. Booknews The author draws on pivotal work by Einstein, Wheeler, Morris, Thorne, Hawking, and others to explore the science behind the science fiction, concluding that it is possible to deduce the physical properties of such theoretical exotica as wormholes and time travel. Of interest to physicists, students of general relativity, cosmology, quantum physics, or any reader with a background in physics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
List of FiguresSeries PrefacePrefaceAcknowledgments1Introduction32General relativity93Quantum field theory314Units and natural scales395The Einstein-Rosen bridge456Spacetime foam537The Kerr wormhole758The cosmological constant819Wormhole taxonomy8910Interregnum9511Traversable wormholes9912Energy conditions11513Engineering considerations13714Thin shells: Formalism15315Thin shells: Wormholes16516Topological censorship19517Chronology: Basic notions20318From wormhole to time machine22719Response to the paradoxes24920Semiclassical quantum gravity27921van Vleck determinants: Formalism29522van Vleck determinants: Wormholes31723Singularity structure33324Minisuperspace wormholes34725Where we stand369Bibliography377Index393
\ BooknewsThe author draws on pivotal work by Einstein, Wheeler, Morris, Thorne, Hawking, and others to explore the science behind the science fiction, concluding that it is possible to deduce the physical properties of such theoretical exotica as wormholes and time travel. Of interest to physicists, students of general relativity, cosmology, quantum physics, or any reader with a background in physics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)\ \
