Topics On Quantum Gravity And Beyond Essays In Honor Of Louis Witten On His Retirement

This festschrift was conceived in connection with the symposium 'Topics on Quantum Gravity and Beyond,' held in honor of Louis Witten. The majority of the essays deal with problems on the frontiers of quantum gravity and string theories. There are also articles on atomic, nuclear, and particle physics, to name a few.

Each contribution is an article in itself, and great effort has been made by the authors to be lucid and not too technical. A few brief highlights of the round-table discussions are given between the chapters. Topics include: Quantum non-locality, the measurement problem, quantum insights into relativity, cosmology and thermodynamics, and possible bearings of quantum mechanics to biology and consciousness. Authors include Yakir Aharanov and Anton Zeilinger, plus Nobel laureates Anthony J. Leggett (2003) and Gerardus ‘t Hooft (1999). Foreword written by Sir Roger Penrose, best-selling author (The Emperor's New Mind) and world-renowned mathematical physicist.

While experience tells us that time flows from the past to the present and into the future, a number of philosophical and physical objections exist to this commonsense view of dynamic time. In an attempt to make sense of this conundrum, philosophers and physicists are forced to confront fascinating questions, such as: Can effects precede causes? Can one travel in time? Can the expansion of the Universe or the process of measurement in quantum mechanics define a direction in time? In this book, researchers from both physics and philosophy attempt to answer these issues in an interesting, yet rigorous way. This fascinating book will be of interest to physicists and philosophers of science and educated general readers interested in the direction of time.

This volume comprises the contributions to the proceedings of Deserfest OCo a festschrift in honor of Stanley Deser. Many of Stanley Deser''s colleagues and longtime collaborators, including Richard Arnowitt and Charles Misner of OC ADMOCO fame, contribute insighted article. Ranging from lower dimensional gravity theories all the way to supergravity in eleven dimensions and M-theory, the papers highlight the wide impact that Deser has had in the field. Contents: Some Results in M-Theory Inspired Phenomenology (R Arnowitt et al.); A Non-Geometric Approach to 11-Dimensional Supergravity (L Brink); Generalized Holonomy in M-Theory (A Batrachenko et al.); Electric-Magnetic Duality in Gravity (M Henneaux & C Teitelboim); R 4 Terms in Supergravity and M-Theory (P Howe); Marriage of 4-Dimensional Gravity to the 3-Dimensional Chern-Simons Term (R Jackiw); Some Applications of the ADM Formalism (J E Nelson); The Main Postulates and Results of Loop Quantum Gravity (L Smolin); Milne and Torus Universes Meet (A Waldron); Diquarks as Inspiration and as Objects (F Wilczek); and other papers. Readership: Researchers in the field of high energy physics, gravitation and supersymmetry."

This volume comprises the contributions to the proceedings of Deserfest — a festschrift in honor of Stanley Deser. Many of Stanley Deser's colleagues and longtime collaborators, including Richard Arnowitt and Charles Misner of “ADM” fame, contribute insighted article. Ranging from lower dimensional gravity theories all the way to supergravity in eleven dimensions and M-theory, the papers highlight the wide impact that Deser has had in the field.

This work combines the work of field theorists and general relativists. It features traditional domains of interaction such as perturbation theory, and explores future topics such as measurement theory, string field theory and hidden symmetries for extended objects.