Publisher Description

This book attempts to explain why 'string theory' may provide the comprehensive underlying theory that describes and explains our world. It is an enthusiastic view of how compactified string/M-theories (plus data that may be reachable) seem to have the possibilities of leading to a comprehensive underlying theory of particle physics and cosmology, perhaps soon. We are living in a hugely exciting era for science, one during which it may be possible to achieve a real and true understanding of our physical world.

Table of Contents

• Introduction: the Standard Models
• The Planck scale—compactification
• Testing theories in physics, including string theories
• The mass–energy scales of particle physics and cosmology—the 'hierarchy' problem—supersymmetry—hidden sectors
• The scales we need to explain
• How would we decide we had a good theory to describe and explain our world?
• Brief topics: views from our perspective
• Perspectives

Details