Cosmic Time Travel A Scientific Odyssey

by Parker, Barry

• ISBN13: 9780738206325
• ISBN10: 0738206326
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-11-02
• Publisher: Basic Books

Summary

The renowned scientific writer Dr. Barry Parker stirs our secret yearnings--this time to revisit the past or travel far into the future--as he takes us on a thrilling ride through space and time. Since Einstein's discovery of the Special Theory of Relativity, which proved that time is not absolute, the imaginative scribblings of science fiction writers took on a new meaning.

Author Biography

Barry Parker, Ph.D, is an award-winning science writer and the author of eleven highly acclaimed books in popular science, including Alien Life, Cosmic Time Travel, Einstein's Dream, and Einstein's Brainchild.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(12)
Einstein and the Elasticity of Time	13	(28)
Einstein: The Man	18	(9)
The Discovery of Time Dilation	27	(6)
Relativistic Time Travel and the Twin Paradox	33	(2)
Four-dimensional Space-time	35	(6)
Space That Bends and Twists	41	(24)
What Is Space?	41	(2)
The Geometry of Space	43	(1)
Gauss	44	(4)
Bolyai, Lobachevski, and Hyperbolic Geometry	48	(3)
Riemann and Elliptical Geometry	51	(4)
Extension to the Fourth Dimension	55	(3)
Hyperspace Time Travel	58	(2)
Global and Local Curved Space	60	(2)
Other Universes	62	(3)
Taming the Curvature	65	(22)
Zurich	71	(1)
To Prague	72	(2)
Collaboration with Grossman	74	(3)
Other Gravitational Theories	77	(1)
To Berlin	78	(2)
The Final Struggle	80	(2)
Curved Space-time and Matter	82	(3)
The Twin Paradox Resolved	85	(2)
The Nature of Time and Space-time	87	(16)
The ``Flow'' of Time	90	(1)
Can Time be Reversed?	91	(2)
Thermodynamics and the Arrow of Time	93	(3)
Other Arrows of Time	96	(3)
Universal Time	99	(1)
Time at the Ends of Time	100	(1)
Space and Time	101	(2)
The Discovery of Space-time Tunnels	103	(18)
The Acceptance of General Relativity	103	(6)
The Schwarzschild Solution	109	(8)
The Einstein--Rosen Bridge	117	(2)
Kruskal Coordinates	119	(1)
Details of the Wormhole	120	(1)
Rips in the Fabric of Space: Black Holes	121	(20)
The Invisible Pup	121	(3)
Neutron Stars and Life Cycles	124	(2)
Black Holes	126	(4)
Properties of Black Holes	130	(5)
Geometry of a Schwarzschild Black Hole	135	(6)
Spinning Gateways	141	(24)
The ``No Hair'' Theorem	143	(3)
Primordial Black Holes	146	(2)
Exploding Black Holes	148	(6)
Details of Kerr Black Holes	154	(2)
In Orbit Around a Kerr Black Hole	156	(2)
A Trip into a Kerr Black Hole	158	(3)
Other Types of Black Holes	161	(4)
Searching For Time Tunnels	165	(26)
Cyg X-1	167	(6)
LMC X-3	173	(5)
A0620-00	178	(3)
SS 433	181	(3)
Galactic Black Holes	184	(3)
Is There a Black Hole in the Center of Our Galaxy?	187	(1)
Why Are There So Few Black Hole Candidates?	188	(3)
Journey into a Black Hole	191	(24)
Journey into a Black Hole	192	(10)
Fundamental Problems	202	(3)
Tidal Forces	205	(3)
Exits and White Holes	208	(1)
Radiation Problems	209	(1)
Causality Problems	210	(3)
Wormholes	213	(2)
Overcoming the Problems	215	(24)
Sagan and Thorne	215	(1)
Working Out the Details	216	(3)
Exotic Matter	219	(3)
Transforming the Wormhole into a Time Machine	222	(4)
Other Methods of Making Time Machines	226	(2)
Tipler's Time Machines	228	(3)
Causality Revisited	231	(1)
Friedman	232	(1)
Building a Traversable Wormhole	233	(2)
Quantum Gravity	235	(4)
Wormholes and Other Universes	239	(20)
Hawking's Workholes	239	(3)
Controversy	242	(3)
Other Universes	245	(6)
Other Wormholes	251	(2)
Trouble in Wormville	253	(2)
Another Approach to Wormholes and Other Universes	255	(4)
Advanced Civilizations and Time Travel	259	(16)
Evidence for Other Solar Systems	259	(3)
Statistical Evidence for Life	262	(4)
Tipler's Views	266	(2)
Large-Scale Radio Searches	268	(2)
Supercivilizations	270	(2)
Could an Advanced Civilization Build and Maintain a Wormhole?	272	(1)
Networks of Wormholes	273	(2)
Faster Then Light?	275	(10)
Tachyons	276	(1)
Properties of Tachyons	277	(1)
Detecting Tachyons	278	(1)
Do Tachyons Exist?	279	(2)
Other Methods of Obtaining Superluminal Speeds	281	(2)
The Quantum Connection	283	(2)
Epilogue	285	(4)
Glossary	289	(8)
Bibliography	297	(6)
Index	303