Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface

PART ONE: THE UNIVERSE

Chapter One: Baby Pictures of the Universe
Chapter Two: The Paradoxical Universe
Chapter Three: The Big Bang
Chapter Four: Inflation and Parallel Universes

PART TWO: THE MULTIVERSE

Chapter Five: Dimensional Portals and Time Travel
Chapter Six: Parallel Quantum Universes
Chapter Seven: M-Theory: The Mother of All Strings
Chapter Eight: A Designer Universe?
Chapter Nine: Searching for Echoes from the Eleventh Dimension

PART THREE: ESCAPE INTO HYPERSPACE

Chapter Ten: The End of Everything
Chapter Eleven: Escaping the Universe
Chapter Twelve: Beyond the Multiverse

Notes
Glossary
Recommended Reading
Index

About the Author

MICHIO KAKU is a professor of physics at the City University of New York, cofounder of string field theory, and the author of several widely acclaimed science books, including Hyperspace, Beyond Einstein, Physics of the Impossible, and Physics of the Future. He is the science correspondent for CBS’s This Morning and host of the radio programs Science Fantastic and Explorations in Science.

Reviews

“In Parallel Worlds, Michio Kaku brings his formidable explanatory talents to bear on one of the strangest and most exciting possibilities to have emerged from modern physics: that our universe may be but one among many, perhaps infinitely many, arrayed in a vast cosmic network. With deft use of analogy and humor, Kaku patiently introduces the reader to variations on this theme of parallel universes, coming from quantum mechanics, cosmology, and most recently, M-theory. Read this book for a wonderful tour, with an expert guide, of a cosmos whose comprehension forces us to stretch to the very limits of imagination.” —Brian Greene, Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics, Columbia University, and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Elegant Universe

“Kaku employs an amiable style that does much to make the story accessible even for those of us who have trouble telling the difference between superstring theory and Silly String aerosol. . . . Fascinating and sometimes downright boggling.” —Sci Fi Magazine

“Kaku covers a tremendous amount of material . . . in a clear and lively way.” —Los Angeles Times Book Review

“One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein revolutionized the science of cosmology. In Parallel Worlds, Michio Kaku, another genius, updates us on the this science and speculates about the future of the universe.” –San Antonio Express-News

“Those who might enjoy a tour of cosmology, time travel, string theory, and the universe in 10 or 11 dimensions will find no better guide than Michio Kaku, a rare individual who has undertaken research in these subject areas yet also knows well how to present this intriguing, complex material in an engaging and easily assimilable style.” —Donald Goldsmith, author of The Runaway Universe and Connecting with the Cosmos

“A highly readable and exhilarating romp through the frontiers of cosmology.” —Martin Rees, author of Our Cosmic Habitat and Our Final Century

“A roller-coaster ride through the universe—and beyond—by one of the world’s finest science writers. Michio Kaku shows that the surface familiarity of the physical world conceals a wonderland of weird entities—dark matter and energy, hidden dimensions of space, and tiny loops of vibrating string that hold the cosmos together. In the universe according to Kaku, reality is as mind-bending as the most exhilarating science fiction.” —Paul Davies, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, Macquarie University, Sydney, and author of How to Build a Time Machine

“Michio Kaku has done it again. In Parallel Worlds, he deftly transforms the frontier of physics into a kind of amusement park, where you actually have fun while reading about Einstein's relativity, quantum mechanics, cosmology, and string theory. But the real story here is how Kaku invokes these powerful tools to speculate about multiple universes and their philosophical implications for our perceptions of God and the meaning of life.” —Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium, New York City, and author of Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution

Increasingly, it seems that whatever can be imagined, even in wildest speculation, is possible in modern astrophysics. As a case in point, Kaku (Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics, Graduate Ctr., CUNY; Hyperspace) considers serious theoretical possibilities of the existence of parallel and/or multiple universes. He begins by covering the historical background of cosmology (familiar territory to fans of this genre) and discussing the evidence gathered from recent satellite data regarding the age of the universe; theorists, he notes, are only beginning to make sense of this information. The text becomes more engaging in Part 2, "The Multiverse," as Kaku explores how parallel universes might be created, how they might interact with our own, and how new ones might be created all the time. Finally, in Part 3, "Escape into Hyperspace," future scenarios for this and other universes are entertained, including their effect upon the civilizations of intelligent beings within them. The acknowledgments listed in this well-researched book read like an honor roll of contemporary astrophysicists and the best science writers. Be prepared to exercise your imagination as you read. Highly recommended.-Gregg Sapp, Science Lib., SUNY at Albany Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

"In Parallel Worlds, Michio Kaku brings his formidable explanatory talents to bear on one of the strangest and most exciting possibilities to have emerged from modern physics: that our universe may be but one among many, perhaps infinitely many, arrayed in a vast cosmic network. With deft use of analogy and humor, Kaku patiently introduces the reader to variations on this theme of parallel universes, coming from quantum mechanics, cosmology, and most recently, M-theory. Read this book for a wonderful tour, with an expert guide, of a cosmos whose comprehension forces us to stretch to the very limits of imagination." -Brian Greene, Professor of Theoretical Particle Physics, Columbia University, and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos and The Elegant Universe

"Kaku employs an amiable style that does much to make the story accessible even for those of us who have trouble telling the difference between superstring theory and Silly String aerosol. . . . Fascinating and sometimes downright boggling." -Sci Fi Magazine

"Kaku covers a tremendous amount of material . . . in a clear and lively way." -Los Angeles Times Book Review

"One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein revolutionized the science of cosmology. In Parallel Worlds, Michio Kaku, another genius, updates us on the this science and speculates about the future of the universe." -San Antonio Express-News

"Those who might enjoy a tour of cosmology, time travel, string theory, and the universe in 10 or 11 dimensions will find no better guide than Michio Kaku, a rare individual who has undertaken research in these subject areas yet also knows well how to present this intriguing, complex material in an engaging and easily assimilable style." -Donald Goldsmith, author of The Runaway Universe and Connecting with the Cosmos

"A highly readable and exhilarating romp through the frontiers of cosmology." -Martin Rees, author of Our Cosmic Habitat and Our Final Century

"A roller-coaster ride through the universe-and beyond-by one of the world's finest science writers. Michio Kaku shows that the surface familiarity of the physical world conceals a wonderland of weird entities-dark matter and energy, hidden dimensions of space, and tiny loops of vibrating string that hold the cosmos together. In the universe according to Kaku, reality is as mind-bending as the most exhilarating science fiction." -Paul Davies, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, Macquarie University, Sydney, and author of How to Build a Time Machine

"Michio Kaku has done it again. In Parallel Worlds, he deftly transforms the frontier of physics into a kind of amusement park, where you actually have fun while reading about Einstein's relativity, quantum mechanics, cosmology, and string theory. But the real story here is how Kaku invokes these powerful tools to speculate about multiple universes and their philosophical implications for our perceptions of God and the meaning of life." -Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astrophysicist and Director of the Hayden Planetarium, New York City, and author of Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution