How to Build a Universe

From one of the most exciting and accessible voices in physics, an eye-opening look into the strange and wonderful world of quantum physics and how it is revolutionizing our understanding of the universe.

What is the universe made of, and how do we know? For decades, physicists have studied this question, circling the most fundamental yet enigmatic building blocks of our world; descending to a level below even atoms, and into the subatomic, mysterious particles and fields that make up the quantum realm. This astonishing world is the key to understanding the workings of the universe, but it has held its secrets close, and its rules have defied models since scientists first attempted to map its terrain. In How to Build a Universe, celebrated astrophysicist Katie Mack pulls back the curtain on these mysteries, presenting the most cutting-edge picture of what we know about the workings of the universe. Mack takes us through our current, and thrillingly accurate, understanding of how the universe works, based on research in the field; and why, despite this, we may be on the precipice of a monumental breakthrough—one that could shatter everything we thought we knew about the universe and the nature of reality. Rather than presenting physics as an enshrined set of facts, the book foregrounds the process of discovery, detailing the false starts, the conceptual leaps, and the passionate debates that shape scientific knowledge. Taking us to the edge of the map and beyond, How to Build a Universe is a shotgun seat to some of the most mind-bending and exciting developments in physics and cosmology, as the fields themselves undergo a revolution, informed by the smallest and most alluring particles that make up the universe. Katie Mack has written a wildly entertaining and accessible guide to the universe, for readers who want to understand not only the wonders of contemporary physics, but the scientific quest for knowledge itself.