The great beyond: Higher dimensions, parallel universes, and the extraordinary search for a theory of everything

337 Pages·2004·1.7 MB·English

by  Halpern, Paul

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T G
H E R E AT
B E Y O N D
Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes,
and the Extraordinary Search for a
Theory of Everything
PAUL HALPERN
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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This book is printed on acid-free paper.(cid:1)∞
Copyright © 2004 by Paul Halpern. All rights reserved
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada
Cartoon p. 8, courtesy of the Library of Congress. Figures pp. 19, 22, 24, 37, 48, 52, 75, 127,
253, 265, 273 concept by Paul Halpern. Rendered by Jerry Antner, RichArt Graphics; p. 56,
concept by Paul Halpern, based on an illustration by Edwin Abbott, rendered by Jerry Antner,
RichArt Graphics. Photos pp. 27, 93, 134, 168, 187, 194, 242 © Paul Halpern; pp. 29, 42, 143
courtesy of the Archives, California Institute of Technology; p. 154, by John Hagemeyer, cour-
tesy of the Archives, California Institute of Technology; p. 106, courtesy of the University of
Göttingen; pp. 117, 122, 197, courtesy of the Niels Bohr Archive; p. 163, courtesy of Syracuse
University; p. 233, courtesy of Claud Lovelace and Rutgers University; pp. 237, 254 courtesy of
the American Institute of Physics, Emilio Ségre Visual Archives, Physics Today Collection
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Halpern, Paul, date.
The great beyond : higher dimensions, parallel universes, and the extraordinary search for
a theory of everything / by Paul Halpern.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical regerences.
ISBN 0-471-46595-X (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Physics—Philosophy. 2. Relativity (Physics) 3. Particles (Nuclear physics)
4. Cosmology. I. Title.
QC6.H273 2004
530'.01—dc22 2004004687
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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Dedicated to Michael Erlich and Frederick Schuepfer,
for their great friendship and inspiration over the years.
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Non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics are
enough to stretch any brain; and when one mixes them
with folklore, and tries to trace a strange background
of multi-dimensional reality behind the ghoulish hints
of the Gothic tales and the wild-whispers of the chim-
ney corner, one can hardly expect to be wholly free
from mental tension.
—H. P. LOVECRAFT, “The Dreams in the
Witch-House” (1933)
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: The Kaluza-Klein Miracle 1
1 The Power of Geometry 10
2 Visions of Hyperspace 26
3 The Physicist’s Stone: Uniting Electricity, Magnetism,
and Light 61
4 Getting Gravity in Shape 84
5 Striking the Fifth Chord: Kaluza’s Remarkable
Discovery 101
6 Klein’s Quantum Odyssey 114
7 Einstein’s Dilemma 139
v
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vi Contents
8 Truth under Exile: Theorizing at Princeton 158
9 Brave New World: Seeking Unity in an Age
of Conflict 179
10 Gauging the Weak and the Strong 206
11 Hyperspace Packages Tied Up in Strings 231
12 Brane Worlds and Parallel Universes 267
Conclusion: Extra-dimensional Perception 290
Notes 299
Further Reading 314
Index 319
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Acknowledgments
I wish to acknowledge the generous support of the John Simon
Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, which has provided me with
the time and resources for this research. The fine examples set by
past and current Guggenheim fellows have offered a constant source
of inspiration for my work.
Several notable historians of science offered me valuable advice
for this project. I thank them sincerely for their help. These include
Gerald Holton, John Stachel, Martin J. Klein, and Daniela Wünsch.
Thanks also to Jürgen Renn and Anne J. Kox, who offered their
friendly support. The Philadelphia Area Seminar on the History of
Mathematics has been a great source of guidance. I thank the mem-
bers of the group for their comments, and acknowledge the critical
assistance of David Zitarelli, Robert Jantzen, Paul Pasles, Jim Beich-
ler, and Thomas Bartlow. I would also like to honor the memory of
my advisor, Max Dresden, who brought the history of science to life
in his colorful lectures.
Getting to meet and interview the legendary physicist John
Wheeler was a special thrill. I thank him for his insights and hospital-
ity, and thank Kenneth Ford for arranging the interview, as well for as
his own comments. I was also fortunate to have valuable discussions
vii
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viii Acknowledgments
with many other leading physicists, whom I thank sincerely for their
time, including Bryce DeWitt, Gary Gibbons, Paul Steinhardt, Raman
Sundrum, Savas Dimopoulos, Alan Chodos, Lisa Randall, Claud
Lovelace, and Paul Wesson. Thanks to Peter van Nieuwenhuizen for
useful references. Jeff Harvey kindly gave me permission to quote
from his song parody. For the use of Einstein’s quotations, I recog-
nize the permission granted by the Einstein Papers Project, Califor-
nia Institute of Technology, and the Albert Einstein Archives at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel.
Many thanks to Stanley Deser, who shared his insights and took
the time to offer me a window into the world of Oskar Klein. A spe-
cial word of appreciation to Bernard Julia and Eugene Cremmer of
the École Normale Supérieure in Paris for their hospitality and
advice during my visit. I would also like to thank astronomers Harry
Shipman and Steven Dick, as well as physicists Dieter Forster and
Justin Vasquez-Poritz for their suggestions and support. Mathemati-
cians Samuel J. Patterson and Martin Kneser of the University of Göt-
tingen were extraordinarily kind in describing the history of their
department, especially during the time of Kaluza. Psychiatrist John
Smythies was of great help for his comments and references about
dimensionality and the mind. For elucidating the background of his
multimedia pieces and their connections to higher dimensions, I am
grateful to filmmaker Peter Rose.
The Bergmann family has been of enormous help to my
research. It was a distinct pleasure having the opportunity to speak
to Peter Bergmann in summer 2002. With his passing, the physics
community has lost an exceptional scholar, organizer, and educator.
I very much appreciate the kindness of Ernest Bergmann in answer-
ing many questions about his father. I also thank John Bergmann,
Joshua Goldberg, and Linda Jean Owens (Peter Bergmann’s care-
taker when he was ill) for their help. Engelbert Schucking, one of
Peter Bergmann’s closest friends and a great scholar of relativity, was
kind enough to offer his valuable insights.
I would like to thank Robert S. Cox, Valerie-Anne Lutz, and the
staff of the Manuscripts Library at the American Philosophical Soci-
ety for their friendly assistance. The staff of the Department of Rare
Books and Special Collections at Princeton University, including
Margaret Rich and AnnaLee Pauls, have been of tremendous help in
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Acknowledgments ix
making it possible for me to examine the Albert Einstein Duplicate
Archives. The libraries of the University of Pennsylvania, Temple
University, the University of Göttingen, Cambridge University, and
the London Metropolitan Archives have also been of great use in my
research. Thanks also to David Rose, the librarian at the City of Lon-
don school, for his generous assistance, for showing me the Edwin
Abbott collection and for taking me on a tour of the school. David
Martin, head of mathematics for the school, was also very helpful.
I would like to express my appreciation to Felicity Pors, Finn
Aaserud, and the staff of the Niels Bohr Archive for permitting me
to examine the Oskar Klein papers, and for their great hospitality
during my visit to Copenhagen. I also appreciate the help of Harry
Leechburch, who offered kind assistance when I viewed the Paul
Ehrenfest material at the Museum Boerhaeve in Leiden.
Many thanks to the leadership of the University of the Sciences
in Philadelphia, including Philip Gerbino, Barbara Byrne, C.
Reynold Verret, Charles Gibley, Margaret Kasschau, Elizabeth Bressi-
Stoppe, Allen Misher, Anthony McCague, John Martino, Joseph
Trainor, Robert Boughner, and Stanley Zietz, for making it possible
for me to have a productive sabbatical year, free of the distractions of
committee work and teaching. Thanks also to faculty members Roy
Robson, David Traxel, Barbara Bendl, David Kerrick, Salar Alsardary,
Durai Sabapathi, Tarlok Aurora, Ping Cunliffe, Amy Kimchuk, Lia
Vas, Greg Manco, Bernard Brunner, Charles Samuels, Roy Schrift-
man, Anatoly Kurkovsky, Robert Field, Ara der Marderosian, and
others. I very much appreciate the help of Judeth Kuchinsky, the
masterful administrative assistant of my department, and of Shan-
non Stoner, interlibrary loan librarian extraordinaire.
Thanks to Arlene Renee Finston for her critical photographic
assistance and to Jerry Antner of RichArt Graphics for his superb
renderings of the illustrations.
My wonderful agent, Giles Anderson, has been a particular source
of support and inspiration. Thanks to my editor, Eric Nelson, and the
staff of John Wiley & Sons, for their useful advice and assistance.
Finally, I’d like to express my great appreciation to my family and
friends during a time of intense effort. My parents, Stanley and Ber-
nice; my in-laws, Joe and Arlene; Herb and Peggy, as well as Richard,
Anita, Alan, Beth, Kenneth, and other family members, have all