Chapter Thirteen, Black Holes, A String/M Theory Perspective Summary and Analysis

Initially, black holes all appeared alike to researchers. Black holes spin at certain rates and can carry electric charge and it has been speculated that they could be large elementary particles. However, black holes are so massive that they cannot be understood in terms of quantum mechanics, and must be studied using general relativity (not including the ultra tiny central point of a black hole). Some physicists theorize that the extreme interior of a black hole is actually a rip in spacetime, previously thought impossible.

Calabi-Yau spaces can come in different "branes," or dimensions: a one-brane is one dimensional, two-brane is two-dimensional, etc. When a three-dimensional Calabi-Yau space collapses, it reinflates as a two-dimensional Calabi-Yau space. With all these interactions, the Calabi-Yau space can transform...