Press Release on Interview with Shing-Tung Yau and Steve Nadis for Their New Book: THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE
时间: 2010-09-17 来源：数学科学研究中心
August 2010 DearProducer/Interviewer: Most people arefamiliar with the four dimensions accessible to our everyday senses – thethree spatial dimensions and time. But what if there are additional dimensionsso small that we haven’t noticed them yet, and in fact, may never seemthem directly? And what if, despite their miniscule size, they prove to becrucial to our understanding of the universe – as well as to the actual functioning of the universe – in wayswe couldn’t have possibly imagined? String theoryholds that our universe has six more hidden, or “extra,” dimensionsthat are curled up in elaborate, twisted shapes called Calabi-Yau manifolds. Award-winningmathematician Shing-Tung Yau (who first proved the existence of this strangeclass of shapes) and science writer Steve Nadis explore what these dimensions meanfor our understanding of the cosmos in their new book, THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE: String Theory and the Geometry of theUniverse’s Hidden Dimensions (Basic Books; September 7, 2010). “Geometry isone of the main avenues available to us for probing the universe,” writeYau and Nadis. “[It] not only deserves a place at the table alongsidephysics and cosmology, but in many ways it isthe table.” In an interview, Yau and Nadis can explain how the Calabi-Yaumanifolds first caught the attention of physicists and how they’ve sincebecome vital to string theory and cosmology. They can also discuss topics suchas: To arrange aninterview with Shing-Tung Yau and/or Steve Nadis, or for additional informationor materials, I can be reached at 212-340-8132 or cassie.nelson@perseusbooks.com. Cassie DendurentNelson Assistant Directorof Publicity Author tour/speaking schedule for THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE: String Theory and theGeometry of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions By Shing-Tung Yau and SteveNadis (Basic Books; September 7, 2010) Friday, September 17, 2010 3:00PM HarvardBook Store Shing-TungYau and Steve Nadis will discuss the book and answer questions. Freeand open to the public. BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON, DC September 24 – 26, 2010 Shing-TungYau will be available for in-person media interviews inthe Baltimore/Washington, DC area. # # FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 212-340-8132 orcassie.nelson@perseusbooks.com “The Shape of Inner Space provides avibrant tour through the strange and wondrous possibility that the threespatial dimensions we see may not be the only ones that exist. Told by one ofthe masters of the subject, the book gives an in-depth account of one of themost exciting and controversial developments in modern theoretical physics.” —Brian Greene, — THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE: String Theory and theGeometry of the Universe’s Hidden Dimensions By Shing-Tung Yau Winner of theFields Medal and Steve Nadis There’s more to the universethan we can see: About 96% of the universe consists of dark energy and darkmatter that’s not only mysterious but invisible. Only 4% of the universeconsists of regular matter, the stuff that we’re made of, and most ofthat is so far away – and accelerating even farther away from us due todark energy – that we’ll never be able to see that either. But whatabout things close at hand, close enough to touch? Might there be, at every spotwe can point to, a hidden, multidimensional realm that is too small to see? Aplace that exists everywhere we turn, and exerts a powerful influence on thephysical world all around us, yet is so miniscule that we could never stepinside and look around? This provocative notion comes fromstring theory, which is the most promising idea physicists have yet devised intheir attempt to explain everything in the universe. In this theory, the concealedmultidimensional realm – which is tucked away at every single point inour ordinary world – comes in the form of convoluted six-dimensionalshapes called Calabi-Yau manifolds. In THESHAPE OF INNER SPACE: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe’sHidden Dimensions (Basic Books; September 7, 2010), Shing-Tung Yau –the man who proved the manifolds’ mathematical existence – and sciencewriter Steve Nadis explain how this intricate geometry found its way into thecenter of what is currently our leading theory of nature. At the heartof THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE is atale of how physics met geometry and the new picture of the universe that hasemerged as a result. In 1976, Yau proved the existence of the “Calabiconjecture,” which demonstrated the existence of strange,higher-dimensional spaces that are now called “Calabi-Yau manifolds.”In doing so – an effort that took several years – he not onlyproved the Calabi conjecture, but also proved several other theorems ofmathematical importance. Explaining howgeometry is crucial to our understanding of the physical world – an ideaembraced by both Plato and Einstein – THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE shows how Yau’s geometric formscaught the attention of physicists and have since become vital to string theoryand cosmology. Eight years after Yau’s proof, string theorists independentlyposited that the universe has six “extra” dimensions, the shape ofwhich dictates pretty much everything – all the particles and all theinteractions between them. While searching for the right geometry, thesephysicists realized that Calabi-Yau spaces might meet all their requirements.These geometrical spaces, in other words, might provide “the shape ofinner space.” The Calabi-Yau manifold instigated arevolution – and no shortage of controversy – in physics, as stringtheorists used it to try to justify their two big ideas: that the particlesthat make up all matter are themselves made up of vibrating strings, and thatthose strings vibrate in ten (or more) dimensions. Lookingforward, Yau and Nadis also describe the ongoing exploration of Calabi-Yauspaces and the quest to uncover the shape of this hidden,“internal” domain that may govern almost everything in ouruniverse. They note, however, that Calabi-Yau spaces aren’t necessarilythe last word or that we even live insuch a space. “The study of these manifolds has enabled physicists andmathematicians to learn many interesting and unexpected things, but thesespaces can’t explain everything; nor can they take us everywhere we mightconceivably want to go.” Showing readers what exists at this intersection of calculus, topology,and geometry, THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE explainsthe mathematical machinery behind string theory, leaving readers withprovocative ideas on what the future might hold for physics, mathematics, andthe universe itself. ABOUT THE AUTHORS Shing-Tung Yau has been a professor of mathematics at Harvard since1987 and is the current department chair. Yau is the winner of the FieldsMedal, the National Medal of Science, the Crafoord Prize, the Veblen Prize, theWolf Prize, and a MacArthur Fellowship. A member of the National Academy ofSciences, Yau has written and edited more than twenty books. He lives in Steve Nadis is a contributing editor to Astronomy magazine. A graduate of ABOUT THE BOOK THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe’sHidden Dimensions By Shing-Tung Yau and Steve Nadis Published by Basic Books Publication date: September 7, 2010 ISBN: 978-0-465-02023-2 For additional informationabout THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE andother Basic Books, visit us online at Advance praise for THE SHAPE OF INNER SPACE: String Theory and the Geometry of the Universe’sHidden Dimensions By Shing-Tung Yau and Steve Nadis (Basic Books; September 7, 2010) “With the help of —PublishersWeekly “This remarkable book by Shing-Tung Yauand Steve Nadis gives the layman a remarkable glimpse into the mysterious innerworld of one of the most beautiful and important parts of mathematics.” — “The Shape of Inner Spaceprovides a vibrant tour through the strange and wondrous possibility that thethree spatial dimensions we see may not be the only ones that exist. Told byone of the masters of the subject, the book gives an in-depth account of one ofthe most exciting and controversial developments in modern theoreticalphysics.” —Brian Greene, “Einstein’s vision of physicallaws emerging from the shape of space has been expanded by the higherdimensions of string theory. This vision has transformed not only modernphysics, but also modern mathematics. Shing-Tung Yau has been at the center ofthese developments. In this ambitious book, written with experienced sciencewriter —Joe Polchinski, Professor ofPhysics, “The Shape of Inner Space hasa distinctive style: in part autobiography, in part an account of developments ingeometric analysis and string theory over the past 40 years, and comments onfuture directions. It gives a unique insight into the thoughts of one of themost important and influential mathematicians of our times.” —Simon Donaldson, Royal SocietyResearch Professor in Pure Mathematics and President of the Institute for Mathematical Science “ —Edward Witten, Professor, Institutefor Advanced Study “A fascinating first-hand account ofhow the math underlying string theory was discovered. Fields medalist Yau andace science writer Nadis have teamed up to show the rest of us the deepgeometry that just might lie at the heart of the universe. It’ll twistyou into knots of pleasure!” —
