book recommendation about string theory and extra dimensions

[kajlina]

I am a student of astronomy and would like to learn more about string
theory and extra dimensions. I have read "The Elegant Universe" by
Brian Greene. Could anyone suggest some more readings for me? I do not
want books with lost of equations.

Thanks,

[nitin]

'Hi Kajlina\r\n\r\nWell, there are a few books I could recommend. The \"Elegant Universe\" was a reasonable start. I would suggest the following order:\r\n\r\n- \"The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality\" , which is a follow-up to \"The Elegant Universe\"\r\n\r\n- \"[B]Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe\'s Hidden Dimensions\" [Lisa Randall], which is more about phenomenology of branes and strings. \r\n\r\n- \"The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design\" [Leonard Susskind], one which I haven\'t read, but I can recommend it based on the reviews I have read. It is a book about the so-called landscape of solutions of string theory.\r\n\r\n- \"Three Roads to Quantum Gravity\" [Lee Smolin], which talks about three approaches to getting a quantum theory of gravity, namely Strings, Loop quantum gravity (LQG) and Noncommutative Geometry (NCG), all at a level which should suit you.\r\n\r\n- \"Superstrings: A Theory of Everything?\" [Paul Davies + Julian Brown], which also contains a series of interviews with some of the pioneers in the field and some notable detractors too (like Feynman).\r\n\r\n- \"Not Even Wrong: The Failure of String Theory And the Search for Unity in Physical Law\" [Peter Woit], one which I am reading right now. It explains the problems with the string enterprise.\r\n\r\n-\"The Trouble With Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the Fall of a Science, and What Comes Next\" [Lee Smolin], which I will read soon. It is currently a best-seller.\r\n\r\nI am sorry to hear you \"do not want books with lots of equations\", but I hope that by the time you\'ve read these books, you might consider reading the following, which provides a relatively easy intro into the world of mathematics, physics and theoretical physics (it definitely contains many equations :devil: ):\r\n\r\n- \"The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe\" [Roger Penrose]\r\n\r\nEnjoy the books!:smile:'

[pentascape]

You could try reading Brian Greene's follow up book "The Fabric of the
Cosmos". I have a bit of a decent theoretical library at home, I'll
have a dig for some more titles you may be interested in.

Chris

kajlina wrote:

> I am a student of astronomy and would like to learn more about string
> theory and extra dimensions. I have read "The Elegant Universe" by
> Brian Greene. Could anyone suggest some more readings for me? I do not
> want books with lost of equations.
>
> Thanks,

[Strings]

Moderator's note: a list (plus amazon links) of technical level textbooks
about string theory is at

http://motls.blogspot.com/2006/11/string-theory-textbooks.html

"kajlina" <china_108@sina.com> wrote in message news:1160455747.381075.316820@i3g2000cwc.googlegro ups.com...

> I am a student of astronomy and would like to learn more about string
> theory and extra dimensions. I have read "The Elegant Universe" by
> Brian Greene. Could anyone suggest some more readings for me? I do not
> want books with lost of equations.
>
> Thanks,

sorry i didn't reply sooner. some things you might like:

Superstrings (Peat)
Superstrings (Davies?)

stuff that sorta relates to string theory:

Warped Passages (very good!)
Three Roads to Quantum Gravity (Smolin)

Randall is pro-strings, Smolin is loop quantum gravity.

if you want to go overboard, go to the library and read old articles from
1984 to present. and dig through the arkiv for simple papers on quantum
gravity and string theory. you are mainly looking for surveys of quantum
gravity or string theory, because there will be tons of elementary material
between the equations. (there will be terms like QFT, landscape, and so
forth).

i'm not aware of any recent book that is written for informed laymen. most
of the books are either technical (assume GR and QM) or trivial.