Cycles of Time：An Extraordinary New View of the Universe

Fromthebest-sellingauthorofTheEmperor’sNewMindandTheRoadtoReality,agroundbreakingbookthatprovidesnewviewsonthreeofcosmology’smostprofoundquestions:What,ifanything,camebeforetheBigBang?Whatisthesourceoforderinouruniverse?Whatisitsultimatefuture?Currentunderstandingofouruniversedictatesthatallmatterwilleventuallythinouttozerodensity,withhugeblackholesfinallyevaporatingawayintomasslessenergy.RogerPenrose—oneofthemostinnovativemathematiciansofourtime—turnsaroundthispredominantpictureoftheuniverse’s“heatdeath,”arguinghowtheexpectedultimatefateofouraccelerating,expandinguniversecanactuallybereinterpretedasthe“BigBang”ofanewone.Alongthewaytothisremarkablecosmologicalpicture,Penroseshedsnewlightonbasicprinciplesthatunderliethebehaviorofouruniverse,describingvariousstandardandnonstandardcosmologicalmodels,thefundamentalroleofthecosmicmicrowavebackground,andthekeystatusofblackholes.Idealforboththeamateurastronomerandtheadvancedphysicist—withplentyofexcitinginsightsforeach—CyclesofTimeiscertaintoprovokeandchallenge.Intellectuallythrillingandaccessible,thisisanotheressentialguidetotheuniversefromoneofourpreeminentthinkers.