Astronomy readers should know about a terrific new book exploring string theory and its implications for multidimensional space. Just published by Basic Books, The Shape of Inner Space: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions (377 pp., hardcover, New York, 2010, ISBN 978–0–465–02023–2) is a masterwork on its subject. Written by Harvard mathematician Shing-Tung Yau and Astronomy’s own Contributing Editor Steve Nadis, the book explores many interrelated subjects centered on string theory.
The potential solution for unsolved problems posed by general relativity and quantum mechanics, string theory suggests that matter consists of tiny strings that vibrate and create the forces we know in the universe. According to the theory, 10 dimensions exist in the universe. Beyond the three spatial dimensions and time, the six other dimensions are locked up in complex mathematical shapes of space-time called Calabi-Yau Manifolds, after Professor Yau and his collaborator Eugenio Calabi, from their pioneering work in the 1970s.
The book is an entertaining read, written with the absorbing style that characterizes Nadis’ feature stories in Astronomy. The going can get a little thick at times, given the complex mathematical nature of the subject, but it is definitely an interesting and highly thought-provoking read about the fundamental nature of the universe surrounding us. Those interested in cosmology and nature as a whole will be delighted with this new work!