This Way to the Universe

This book is a rare event: a grand overview of the leading ideas in modern fundamental physics, presented by someone who is a true master – Sean Carroll, author of From Eternity to HereThis book, written by one of the great masters of modern physics, is an extraordinary journey into what we know, what we hope to know, and what we don’t know, about the universe and the laws that govern it – Leonard Susskind, author of The Theoretical Minimum seriesIt is not an easy task to take the complexities of theoretical physics … and translate it into common prose. It is even more difficult to make it accessible to the lay enthusiast. The author has done an admirable job and hasn’t shirked away from many of the more difficult and arcane topics. As a comprehensive and uncompromising tour de force of literally all of fundamental physics, there can be few better alternatives * BBC Sky at Night magazine *Renowned physicist Michael Dine takes us from the innards of the atom to the depths of black holes in this readable … celebration of science’s most mind-bending discipline. The text is conversational and full of delightful asides … Dine’s enthusiastic storytelling makes the read worth it for those who want to finally wrap their mind around string theory or the Higgs boson – Tess Joosse * Scientific American *Michael Dine takes the reader on a fascinating and wide-ranging tour of the world of physics, both theoretical and experimental, emphasizing the remarkable discoveries that make up modern physics and the daunting challenges that remain. Dine is a leader in theoretical physics and tells the story of the last few decades based on his own personal experiences and involvement – Edward Witten, theoretical physicist and professor at the Institute for Advanced StudyEverything you wanted to know about physics but were afraid to ask. This Way to the Universe is a fascinating and sweeping tour of the history of ideas in modern physics and cosmology from a remarkable theoretical physicist and engaging storyteller. A riveting read, the book offers a ringside view to many of the latest theoretical and experimental developments from a key protagonist. A treat for the intellectually curious – Priyamvada Natarajan, author of Mapping the HeavensDine delivers a detailed, if often sceptical, account of the great questions and often unsatisfactory answers to problems in astro- and quantum physics, examining such topics as the Big Bang, inflation theory, galaxy formation, black holes, dark matter and energy, string theory, and supersymmetry … Excellent popular science * Kirkus *

Michael Dine is Distinguished Professor of Physics at the Santa Cruz Institute for Particle Physics, University of California. One of the world’s leading physicists, he has made important contributions to our understanding of particle physics and string theory, has proposed arguably the leading candidate for the identity of the dark matter, and put forth some of the most promising ideas to explain why our universe consists of something rather than nothing. This is his first book for a general readership.