Lorentzian Wormholes: From Einstein to Hawking Matt Visser From H. G. Wells to Star Trek, audiences have been captivated by the notions of time travel, time warps, and wormholes. But science fiction is not the only realm where these concepts thrive. An active group of general relativists and quantum field theorists has produced a considerable body of serious (though admittedly speculative) mathematical and physical analyses of the wormhole system. Now, with this fascinating book, readers can explore in depth the science behind the science fiction. Drawing on pivotal work by Einstein, Wheeler, Morris, Thorne, Hawking, and others. Matt Visser charts the development and current state of Lorentzian wormhole physics. Dr Visser shows that by pushing established physical theories to their limits, it is possible to deduce the physical properties of such exotica as wormholes and time travel. The physical framework he uses is derived from one of the major research frontiers of modern theoretical physics: quantum gravity - the intersection of classical Einstein gravity and quantum field theory. Physicists, students of general relativity, cosmology, quantum physics, or any interested reader with a background in physics will find this a provocative introduction to an exciting and active topic of ongoing research. About the Author Matt Visser is Research Assistant Professor at Washington University, St. Louis. He has lectured in the United States and abroad on topics including wormhole physics, time travel, and the chronology protection conjecture. Dr. Visser received his undergraduate degrees from Victoria University in New Zealand, and received his PhD in physics at the University of California at Berkeley. He has conducted postdoctoral research at both the University of Southern California and at Los Alamos National Laboratory.