Over the last decade the physics of black holes has been revolutionized by developments that grew out of Jacob Bekenstein’s realization that black holes have entropy. Stephen Hawking raised profound issues concerning the loss of information in black hole evaporation and the consistency of quantum mechanics in a world with gravity. For two decades these questions puzzled theoretical physicists and eventually led to a revolution in the way we think about space, time, matter and information. This revolution has culminated in a remarkable principle called “The Holographic Principle”, which is now a major focus of attention in gravitational research, quantum field theory and elementary particle physics. Leonard Susskind, one of the co-inventors of the Holographic Principle as well as one of the founders of String theory, develops and explains these concepts.

Contents:

• Black Holes and Quantum Mechanics:
• The Schwarzschild Black Hole
• Scalar Wave Equation in a Schwarzschild Background
• Quantum Fields in Rindler Space
• Entropy of the Free Quantum Field in Rindler Space
• Thermodynamics of Black Holes
• Charged Black Holes
• The Stretched Horizon
• The Laws of Nature
• The Puzzle of Information Conservation in Black Hole Environments
• Horizons and the UV/IR Connection
• Entropy Bounds and Holography:
• Entropy Bounds
• The Holographic Principle and Anti de Sitter Space
• Black Holes in a Box
• Black Holes and Strings:
• Strings
• Entropy of Strings and Black Holes

“A remarkable feature of this book is that relatively little specialized knowledge is required from the reader; a cursory acquaintance with quantum mechanics and relativity is sufficient. This is impressive, given that the authors cover some of the hottest topics in current research ... conceptually the book is truly challenging. It makes us think about many ideas we take for granted and shakes the foundations of our understanding of basic physics. It provides a rollercoaster ride into the treacherous and largely uncharted land of quantum gravity. This book is highly recommended for those interested in these fascinating topics.”

“Students and non-specialists will welcome this book, which provides an entry into this fascinating realm at a level that can be enjoyed by an enterprising undergraduate ... This well-planned, stimulating and sometimes provocative book can be enthusiastically recommended.”