Something Deeply Hidden

Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime

De: Sean Carroll

Narrado por: Sean Carroll

Instant New York Times best seller

As you listen to these words, copies of you are being created. Sean Carroll, theoretical physicist and one of this world’s most celebrated writers on science, rewrites the history of 20th-century physics. Already hailed as a masterpiece, Something Deeply Hidden shows for the first time that facing up to the essential puzzle of quantum mechanics utterly transforms how we think about space and time. His reconciling of quantum mechanics with Einstein’s theory of relativity changes, well, everything. Most physicists haven’t even recognized the uncomfortable truth: Physics has been in crisis since 1927.

Quantum mechanics has always had obvious gaps—which have come to be simply ignored. Science popularizers keep telling us how weird it is, how impossible it is to understand. Academics discourage students from working on the "dead end" of quantum foundations. Putting his professional reputation on the line with this audacious yet entirely reasonable audiobook, Carroll says that the crisis can now come to an end. We just have to accept that there is more than one of us in the universe. There are many, many Sean Carrolls. Many of every one of us.

Copies of you are generated thousands of times per second. The Many Worlds Theory of quantum behavior says that every time there is a quantum event, a world splits off with everything in it the same, except in that other world, the quantum event didn't happen. Step-by-step in Carroll's uniquely lucid way, he tackles the major objections to this otherworldly revelation until his case is inescapably established.

Rarely does a book so fully reorganize how we think about our place in the universe. We are on the threshold of a new understanding—of where we are in the cosmos, and what we are made of.

©2019 Sean Carroll (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"What makes Carroll's new project so worthwhile, though, is that while he is most certainly choosing sides in the debate, he offers us a cogent, clear and compelling guide to the subject while letting his passion for the scientific questions shine through every page." (NPR)

“The book presents one fascinating concept after another, and I think it is an essential read. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the implications of the Many Worlds and entanglement, and the fact that our reality is always an infinite set of connected possibilities. It’s really blown my mind. The deeper you dive into quantum mechanics, the more it challenges you to keep an open mind about everything.”—Dan Schulman, CEO of PayPal in Fast Company

"Something Deeply Hidden is Carroll’s ambitious and engaging foray into what quantum mechanics really means and what it tells us about physical reality." (Science Magazine)

CARROLL AND FEYNMAN

Sean Carroll is a theoretical physicist. He explains the science of physics to the general public with unusual clarity for non-scientists. “Something Deeply Hidden” explains a theory that has the potential for explaining everything about everything.

Carroll touches on the theoretical history of Quantum Mechanics. He notes the fundamental objection to Quantum Mechanics raised by Einstein and his followers.

The confrontation between Niels Bohr and Einstein results in agreement on the truth of Quantum Mechanics as a construct for calculation of space, time, and motion in the sub-atomic world. The disagreement comes with Bohr’s opinions about Quantum Mechanics. Einstein suggests Quantum Mechanics is an incomplete description of subatomic unpredictability.

Carroll’s books are excellent physics primers for non-scientists because they reduce science complexity to understandable examples; at least most of the time. (Space-time remains a mystery to me; even with Carroll’s valiant effort to explain it.) He may not be right about everything he explains, and a listener/readers’ interpretation of his writing may be wrong, but Carroll’s explanations are fascinating.

Feynman is said to have had the ability to explain the complexity of physics to the non-scientist. Carroll is today’s Feynman.

Posted on January 19, 2020

Which universe am I in?

It's always bothered me that quantum mechanics forms the foundation of our entire universe and no one really understands it.

I've never really come across satisfying answers to the basic questions: Is Schrodinger's cat alive or dead or both? Does entanglement mean that Einstein was wrong about the speed of light? Is light a wave or a particle or neither? Why are position and momentum not measurable simultaneously? Can a conscious observer control the output of a particle physics experiment? There are many opportunities to get derailed here and sometimes on purpose depending on the author's intent.

Here, Sean Carroll gives the most definitive answers to all of these questions by asking: what is the simplest interpretation that explains all the experimental data? He shows how most interpretations of quantum mechanics include some set of exceptions or special rules to make us feel better because the actual simplest interpretation is otherwise uncomfortable. It's interesting to learn how the historically great physists struggled with this uncomfortableness as well.

It turns out that the simplest, cleanest, most austere, exception-free interpretation (if you like that sort of thing) is the many-worlds interpretation. This one has always bothered me viscerally because it just feels wrong, but it's actually quite beautiful, more so than I thought, when you consider it in more detail. It also resolves all the messy exceptions, but with a price: it does impinge greatly on your human sensibilities.

But, feeling uncomfortable about the answers is basically the entire history of physics. E.g. assume light has a speed limit, then use Occam's razor, and then, well time is no longer constant, and by the way space is warped. Deal with it.

I really liked the chapter with the Socratic-style conversation between a skeptical father and his physicist daughter. The questions that are on the reader's mind at this point get asked here: "So how many worlds actually get created?" "Is this model even possible to disprove?" "Do you really believe this stuff?!" To Carroll's credit, he does eventually make it believable by carefully guiding you through the consequences of Schrodinger's equation.

One benefit to the reader who does eventually accept the many-worlds interpretation is the superpower of being able to always make a correct choice when faced with a difficult decision by using his Universe Splitting app.

Carroll is actually making a serious point here to drive his thesis home. The app contacts a device in Geneva that measures a quantum event, causing the world to literally split. In one universe you will do one thing, in a another universe you will do the other (with proper follow-through). Either way, you win. Which universe will you end up in? Well, it's hard to say, but at least someone will do the right thing.

The book is really good, and I wasn't sure whether to give 4 or 5 stars here, so I used the Splitter app to leave both. Which universe am I in?

An excellent spin.

This book is an excellent look into the complexities of quantum mechanics. Written at the perfect level between "impossible to understand" and "condescending" A truly enjoyable read.

Accesible Science for the Sharp Mind

Accesible albiet very complex material to delve into. I love his thought experiments and how his explanations are not reliant on you seeing an equation or a ton of math. definatly got me thinking a lot and wishing I knew more of Einstiens Relativity before listening.

Enjoyed thoroughly...

I like the way Sean Carroll breaks seemingly unknown concepts into tiny bits of wisdom. I can't say I have understood everything he said. But the knowledge I gained will not be easily lost.

Thank you for your brave attempt of simplifying the complex. I am an Everettian now.

Highly recommended

I’m a huge fan of many worlds interpretation of quantum physics. I don’t have a college degree and am able to follow his train of thought / reasoning very well.
About to listen to a second time.

Fascinating, accessible and great performance

Sometimes with these sort of books you get the feeling the author is trying to show off. Absolutely not the case here. The complex issues are explained clearly and are delivered by someone who knows how to intonate and pause at the right points to almost make the reading soothing! Well done folks.

A Clear Up-to-date Summary of Contemporary Physics

I have always been a big fan of popular science books, because they provide a bird's-eye view of contemporary topics in theoretical physics and philosophy without the need of combing through large collections of academic journals (many of which are unnecessary). This book exceeded my expectations. As an armchair physicist, and Everettian, this books answered many of my questions regarding on where the consensus lies on the dimensionality of the Hilbert Space of the universe (yet to be agreed upon). It also started an interest in learning how entropy relates to general relativity; something I barely come across.

If you like this book, then I would also recommend Leonard Susskind's The Black Hole War. Sean also makes reference to the work done by Susskind.

Interesting but a bit inconsistent

it was a little hard to tell who the intended audience was. The writing alternates between a high school reading level and needing a theoretical physics postdoc to understand.

Its pretty good but missing information

If you are interested in this type of information. A more complete understanding can be found by researching Nassim Haramein and The Resonance Science Foundation. Research The Schwarzschild Proton