The River of Time [Paperback]

An overview of the history of the study of time and presentation of the modern state of physical research.Can we change the past? The surprising answer can be found here. In a superb overview, Novikov examines the history of the study of time and presents the modern state of physical research. Figures who have helped to shape our views are depicted in the context of their own times and struggles: from Socrates in Athens, to the physicists under the former Soviet Union. Novikov details his personal experiences with 20th-century Russian and Western physicists. An engaging style and wonderful illustrations make this hugely enjoyable and accessible to all.Can we change the past? The surprising answer can be found here. In a superb overview, Novikov examines the history of the study of time and presents the modern state of physical research. Figures who have helped to shape our views are depicted in the context of their own times and struggles: from Socrates in Athens, to the physicists under the former Soviet Union. Novikov details his personal experiences with 20th-century Russian and Western physicists. An engaging style and wonderful illustrations make this hugely enjoyable and accessible to all.The nature of time has long fascinated physicists and the general public. As an irresistible flow into which all events are embedded, time cannot be slowed or accelerated, nor can it be undone or turned back. In The River of Time , Igor Novikov describes how the thinkers throughout history have defined time and how these discoveries demonstrate that humans may influence time's flow. He describes how time flows in specific regions of the Universe, how it stops in black holes and splashes over the brim in white holes, and how time may convert into space and vice versa. Exploring time's genesis at the Big Bang, Novikov details how recent discoveries indicate that time machine travel might be possible. Igor Novikov is the Director of the Theoretical Astrophysics Center and Prlƒ.