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[Chiwas]

From the current online issue of Scientific American, a synopsis.

Extreme Physics
The truth may be stranger than fiction

Time travel, teleportation, parallel universes--in certain sectors of the physics community, notions once relegated to the realm of science fiction are now considered quite plausible. Indeed, by some accounts, the truth may be stranger than fiction. Consider the possibility that the universe is a huge hologram or that matter is composed of tiny, vibrating strings. Perhaps space and time are not continuous but instead come in discrete pieces. These are the wonderfully weird ways in which theorists are beginning to conceive of the world (or worlds!) around us.

In this exclusive online issue, leading authorities share their expertise on these cutting-edge ideas. Brian Greene untangles string theory; Max Tegmark reveals how astronomical observations support the existence of parallel universes; other scholars tackle quantum teleportation, negative energy, the holographic principle and loop quantum gravity; and Gordon Kane ushers in the dawn of physics beyond the Standard Model. --The Editors


Negative Energy, Wormholes and Warp Drive by Lawrence H. Ford and Thomas A. Roman
The construction of wormholes and warp drive would require a very unusual form of energy. Unfortunately, the same laws of physics that allow the existence of this "negative energy" also appear to limit its behavior

Quantum Teleportation by Anton Zeilinger
The science-fiction dream of "beaming" objects from place to place is now a reality - at least for particles of light

Parallel Universes by Max Tegmark
Not just a staple of science fiction, other universes are a direct implication of cosmological observations

Information in the Holographic Universe by Jacob D. Bekenstein
Theoretical results about black holes suggest that the universe could be like a gigantic hologram

The Future of String Theory -- A Conversation with Brian Greene by George Musser
The physicist and best-selling author demystifies the ultimate theories of space and time, the nature of genius, multiple universes, and more

Atoms of Space and Time by Lee Smolin
We perceive space and time to be continuous, but if the amazing theory of loop quantum gravity is correct, they actually come in discrete pieces

The Dawn of Physics Beyond the Standard Model by Gordon Kane
The Standard Model of particle physics is at a pivotal moment in its history: it is both at the height of its success and on the verge of being surpassed


And you thought life was simple. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]