Paul J. Steinhardt – författare

A radical, yet accessible, new theory of the origins and future of the universe by two of the world's leading cosmologistsThe first serious challenge to the widely accepted 'Big Bang' model of the universe. According to 'Big Bang' theory, space and time sprang into existence fifteen billion years ago: a super-heated fireball of near infinite density that expanded at phenomenal speed. As it continued to expand, it cooled and condensed to create the galaxies, stars and planets we see today.But the theory has always had flaws and they have become increasingly difficult to reconcile. Why is the distribution of matter and radiation in the universe so uniform? Why is space flat rather than curved, as Einstein's theory of general relativity suggests? And where did the seeds for forming galaxies come from? To resolve these issues, Turok and Steinhardt propose a very different model of the universe. They argue that it is without beginning or end, truly an ENDLESS UNIVERSE.This highly accessible book chronicles the last thirty years of cosmology; it explains the discovery of 'dark energy', 'dark matter' and addresses the question of when the next collision might occur between our worlds and the parallel dimensions in space.

This review volume provides the most up-to-date and authoritative description of research on icosahedral solids, which has advanced rapidly since the discovery of these unique materials in 1984. The present book, intended as a companion volume to the reprint volume on The Physics of Quasicrystals edited by P Steinhardt and S Ostlund, will be invaluable to graduate students and workers in the field as a comprehensive reference. Scientists in related fields can use it as a readable introduction to the important current problems in quasicrystals. The chapters have been written by many of the most prominent theorists and experimentalists on quasicrystals, both physicists and materials scientists, from around the world. Especially exciting are the details of the recent discovery of “perfect quasi-crystals”, new materials which promise to be an ideal form of quasiperiodic matter with little or no disorder. Other topics include: electron, X-ray and neutron quasi-crystallography, scanning tunneling microscopy studies, electronic transport experiments, quasicrystal faceting and statistical mechanics, growth rules and matching rules for quasicrystals, group theory and elasticity theory.

This review volume provides the most up-to-date and authoritative description of research on icosahedral solids, which has advanced rapidly since the discovery of these unique materials in 1984. The present book, intended as a companion volume to the reprint volume on The Physics of Quasicrystals edited by P Steinhardt and S Ostlund, will be invaluable to graduate students and workers in the field as a comprehensive reference. Scientists in related fields can use it as a readable introduction to the important current problems in quasicrystals. The chapters have been written by many of the most prominent theorists and experimentalists on quasicrystals, both physicists and materials scientists, from around the world. Especially exciting are the details of the recent discovery of “perfect quasi-crystals”, new materials which promise to be an ideal form of quasiperiodic matter with little or no disorder. Other topics include: electron, X-ray and neutron quasi-crystallography, scanning tunneling microscopy studies, electronic transport experiments, quasicrystal faceting and statistical mechanics, growth rules and matching rules for quasicrystals, group theory and elasticity theory.

Quasicrystals: The State of the Art has proven to be a useful introduction to quasicrystals for mathematicians, physicists, materials scientists, and students. The original intent was for the book to be a progress report on recent developments in the field. However, the authors took care to adopt a broad, pedagogical approach focusing on points of lasting value. Many subtle and beautiful aspects of quasicrystals are explained in this book (and nowhere else) in a way that is useful for both the expert and the student.In this second edition, some authors have appended short notes updating their essays. Two new chapters have been added. Chapter 16, by Goldman and Thiel, reviews the experimental progress since the first edition (1991) in making quasicrystals, determining their structure, and finding applications. In Chapter 17, Steinhardt discusses the quasi-unit cell picture, a promising, new approach for describing the structure and growth of quasicrystals in terms of a single, repeating, overlapping cluster of atoms.

Quasicrystals: The State of the Art has proven to be a useful introduction to quasicrystals for mathematicians, physicists, materials scientists, and students. The original intent was for the book to be a progress report on recent developments in the field. However, the authors took care to adopt a broad, pedagogical approach focusing on points of lasting value. Many subtle and beautiful aspects of quasicrystals are explained in this book (and nowhere else) in a way that is useful for both the expert and the student.In this second edition, some authors have appended short notes updating their essays. Two new chapters have been added. Chapter 16, by Goldman and Thiel, reviews the experimental progress since the first edition (1991) in making quasicrystals, determining their structure, and finding applications. In Chapter 17, Steinhardt discusses the quasi-unit cell picture, a promising, new approach for describing the structure and growth of quasicrystals in terms of a single, repeating, overlapping cluster of atoms.