When the Universe Took a U-turn

Book excerpt: This book addresses some of the baffling questions encountered at the final frontier of space and time related to particle physics and cosmology in the context of recent iconoclastic observations and developments. When particle physics stagnated in the early seventies, a new development emerged OCo String Theory. For the past 25 years, String Theory, popularly called the OC Theory of EverythingOCO, has mesmerized not just scientists, but also the general public. Yet a closer scrutiny today reveals that it is no more than a mathematical marvel. It has neither predicted anything nor has it been anywhere near verification. We are essentially where we were in the early seventies. Another chronic problem that Einstein had abandoned was the unified description of his theory of General Relativity that deals with the Universe at large and Electromagnetism which is to do with particles. Such a description is necessary even if it warrants a radical departure from our time-honoured ideas of space and time. A bright spot has now appeared in Cosmology. Iconoclastic observations in the past years have shown that the Universe is actually accelerating, driven by a mysterious Dark Energy. This book takes the lay reader through these uncharted waters and mind-boggling developments on an unimaginable journey from the ultra small to the farthest stretches conceivable, via such imagination defying concepts as extra dimensions and multiple universes. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: The Lord is subtle, but defies commonsense! (120 KB). Contents: The Lord is Subtle, But Defies Commonsense!; You Can Be Younger Than Your Grandson; God Does Not Play Dice, or Does He?; Time is Running Backwards Isn''t It?; On a Collision Course; Law Without Law; When the Universe Took a U Turn. Readership: Students and academics interested in theoretical physics and history of science.