Something Deeply Hidden: Quantum Worlds and the Emergence of Spacetime - Hardcover

SEAN CARROLL is a theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology, host of the Mindscape podcast, and author of From Eternity to Here, The Particle at the End of the Universe, and The Big Picture. He has been awarded prizes and fellowships by the National Science Foundation, NASA, the American Institute of Physics, and the Royal Society of London, among many others. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, writer Jennifer Ouellette.

Praise for Something Deeply Hidden

“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

“Enlightening and refreshingly bold.”—Scientific American

“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

"Solid arguments and engaging historical backdrop will captivate science-minded readers everywhere.”—Scientific Inquirer

“Readers in this universe (and others?) will relish the opportunity to explore the frontiers of science in the company of titans.”—Booklist

“Fans of popular science authors such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and John Gribbin will find great joy while exploring these groundbreaking concepts.”—Library Journal

“[A] challenging, provocative book... moving smoothly through different topics and from objects as small as particles to those as enormous as black holes, Carroll’s exploration of quantum theory introduces readers to some of the most groundbreaking ideas in physics today.”—Publishers Weekly

“A thrilling tour through what is perhaps humankind's greatest intellectual achievement—quantum mechanics. With bold clarity, Carroll deftly unmasks quantum weirdness to reveal a strange but utterly wondrous reality.”—Brian Greene, professor of physics and mathematics, director of the Columbia Center for Theoretical Physics, author of The Elegant Universe

“Sean Carroll’s immensely enjoyable Something Deeply Hidden brings readers face to face with the fundamental quantum weirdness of the universe—or should I say universes?  And by the end, you may catch yourself finding quantum weirdness not all that weird.”—Jordan Ellenberg, professor of mathematics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author of How Not To Be Wrong
 
“Sean Carroll is always lucid and funny, gratifyingly readable, while still excavating depths. He advocates an acceptance of quantum mechanics at its most minimal, its most austere – appealing to the allure of the pristine. The consequence is an annihilation of our conventional notions of reality in favor of an utterly surreal world of Many Worlds. Sean includes us in the battle between a simple reality versus a multitude of realities that feels barely on the periphery of human comprehension. He includes us in the ideas, the philosophy, and the foment of revolution. A fascinating and important book.”—Janna Levin, professor of physics & astronomy, Barnard College of Columbia University, author of Black Hole Blues

“Sean Carroll beautifully clarifies the debate about the foundations of quantum mechanics, and champions the most elegant, courageous approach: the astonishing “many worlds” interpretation. His explanations of its pros and cons are clear, evenhanded, and philosophically gob smacking.”—Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics, Cornell University, and author of Infinite Powers

“Carroll gives us a front-row seat to the development of a new vision of physics: one that connects our everyday experiences to a dizzying hall-of-mirrors universe in which our very sense of self is challenged. It's a fascinating idea, and one that just might hold clues to a deeper reality.”—Katie Mack, theoretical astrophysicist, North Carolina State University, author of The End of Everything (forthcoming)

“I was overwhelmed by tears of joy at seeing so many fundamental issues explained as well as they ever have been.  Something Deeply Hidden is a masterpiece, which stands along with Feynman's QED as one of the two best popularizations of quantum mechanics I've ever seen.  And if we classify QED as having had different goals, then it's just the best popularization of quantum mechanics I've ever seen, full stop.”—Scott Aaronson, professor of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin, and Director of UT’s Quantum Information Center
 
“Irresistible and an absolute treat to read. While this is a book about some of the deepest current mysteries in physics, it is also a book about metaphysics as Carroll lucidly guides us on how to not only think about the true and hidden nature of reality but also how to make sense of it.  I loved this book.”—Priyamvada Natarajan, theoretical astrophysicist, Yale University, author of Mapping the Heavens