Extra Dimensions in Space and Time

by Bars, Itzhak; Terning, John; Nekoogar, Farzad

• ISBN13: 9780387776378
• ISBN10: 0387776370
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-12-30
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

There has been a revolution in our thinking about extra dimensions. A new understanding of the feasibility of localizing four dimensional gauge theories in higher dimensional spacetimes has led to a variety of phenomenologically viable models, and even to the possibility of localizing gravity. Unlike older theories of extra dimensions, much of the focus now is on extra dimensions with sizes on the order of one thousandth of a proton width or larger! Thus, there is a potential for discovery at current and soon-to-be-completed colliders, and in some cases table-top experiments. In addition there are tremendous implications for cosmology. The following topics are covered in this book:Einstein and the Fourth DimensionWaves in a Fifth DimensionString Theory and BranesExperimental Tests of Extra DimensionsThe beginnings of string theory as an attempt to understand strongly bound quarks will be reviewed initially. How string theory evolved into a theory of quantum gravity will also be covered before moving on to more recent developments including the Maldacena conjecture and it's applications to heavy ion collisions, the five dimensional Randall-Sundrum model, and a possible origin for the electron mass.Evidence has been gathering that the ordinary formulation of physics, in a space-time with three space and one time dimensions, is a clumsy way to describe our world; just like shadows on walls alone are insufficient to capture the true essence of an object in a three dimensional room. A discussion on Two-Time Physics ensues, which the author hopes will help to eliminate many of the mysteries of today's laws of physics. Two-Time Physics reveals that our physical world in 3+1 dimensions is like a shadow of a highly symmetric universe in four space and two time dimensions. Amazingly, the best understood fundamental theory in Physics, the Standard Model of Particles and Forces is reproduced, and its "strong CP problem" is solved, as a field theory in 4+2 dimensions in the context of Two-Time Physics. This point of view provides new mathematical tools and new insights for understanding our universe, and could cause many of the most basic processes in physics to need re-examination.

Author Biography

Professor John Terning - University of California, DavisJohn Terning is Professor of Physics at University of California, Davis. He received his Ph.D. from University of Toronto and was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University. He was also a researcher at Boston University, University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University. Professor Terning was a staff member at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. John Terning's research Interests include theoretical particle physics, electroweak symmetry breaking, supersymmetry, cosmology, extra dimensions, and AdS/CFT correspondence.Professor Itzhak Bars, University of Southern CaliforniaItzhak Bars is a Professor of Physics at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1971 and after postdoctoral research at the University of California at Berkeley he was appointed to the faculty of Stanford University in 1973. He returned to Yale University in 1975 as a faculty member in the Physics Department, and after a decade he moved to the University of Southern California in 1984 to build a research group in High Energy Physics. He served as the director of the Caltech-USC Center for Theoretical Physics during 1999-2003. His visiting appointments include Harvard University, the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and CERN in Geneva, Switzerland. Professor Bars is a leading expert in symmetries in Physics, which he applies in much of his research on particle physics, field theory, string theory and mathematical physics in over 200 papers. He is the author of a book on "Quantum Mechanics" and co-editor of the books "Symmetry in Particle Physics" and "Strings '95, Future Perspectives in String Theory".  Some of his experimentally successful physics predictions include supersymmetry in large nuclei with even/odd numbers of nucleons, and the weak interaction contribution to the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon, in the context of the quantized Standard Model, that was confirmed after 30 years. His contributions to the mathematics of supersymmetry are extensively used in several branches of physics and mathematics. His current interests include String Field Theory, and Two-Time Physics which he originated in 1998.  In 2006 he established that all the physics we know today, as embodied in principle in the Standard Model of Particles and Forces, is better described by a two-time field theory in 4 space and 2 time dimensions projected as a shadow on an emergent 3 space and 1 time dimensions. His honors include Fellow of the American Physical Society, the First Award in the Gravity Research Foundation essay contest (shared with Chris Pope), Outstanding Junior Investigator Award by the Department of Energy, and the A. P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship.

Table of Contents

Two-Time Physics: The Unified View from Higher Dimensional Space and Time
A First Look at the Known Universe	p. 7
Structure of Matter and Fundamental Forces	p. 13
The Fundamentals at Subatomic Distances	p. 13
Large Distances and Cosmology	p. 21
What Is Space-Time?	p. 29
Einstein's Relativistic View of Space-Time	p. 33
Equivalence Principle, Symmetry, and General Relativity	p. 38
Symmetry and Perspective	p. 43
Why Higher Space or Time Dimensions?	p. 47
Extra Space Dimensions	p. 49
A Matter of Perspective in 2T Space-time	p. 51
Why Two Times	p. 54
The Shadows Allegory	p. 56
The Role of Extra Space Dimensions in String Theory	p. 59
Two-Time Physics	p. 67
Historical Path to the Sp(2, R) Symmetry	p. 67
Indistinguishable Position and Momentum and Sp(2, R)	p. 72
How Does It Work?	p. 75
Informal Discussion	p. 77
Formal Discussion	p. 78
Examples of Shadows and Hidden Information	p. 81
Evidence of 4 + 2 as Subtle Effects in 3 + 1 Dimensions	p. 89
H-Atom	p. 89
The Fourth Space Dimension in Celestial Mechanics	p. 95
Fundamental Universe as a Shadow from 4 + 2 Dimensions	p. 99
The Standard Model as a 2T-Field Theory	p. 101
2T-Gravity in 4 + 2 Dimensions	p. 104
Dilaton-Driven Cosmic Phase Transitions	p. 106
Electroweak Phase Transition	p. 109
Current Status of 2T-Physics and Future Directions	p. 113
Further Reading	p. 123
References	p. 123
Extra Dimensions of Space
The Popular View of Extra Dimensions	p. 129
Einstein and the Fourth Dimension	p. 130
Traditional Extra Dimensions	p. 141
Einstein's Gravity	p. 146
The Theory Formerly Known as String	p. 149
Warped Extra Dimensions	p. 154
How Do We Look for Extra Dimensions?	p. 158
Epilogue	p. 165
References	p. 165
Extra Material: The Equations Behind the Words	p. 167
Units and Coordinates	p. 167
Einstein and the Fourth Dimension	p. 169
Quantum Mechanics	p. 178
Traditional Extra Dimensions	p. 182
Einstein's Gravity	p. 185
The Theory Formerly Known as String	p. 190
Warped Extra Dimensions	p. 197
The Maxwell Equations	p. 201
How Do We Look for Extra Dimensions?	p. 208
About the Authors	p. 211
Index	p. 213
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