The universe in a box Simulations and the quest to code the cosmos

Cosmologist Pontzen debuts with an exciting if digressive account of how astronomers use computer simulations to study the universe. "We build computer simulations based on the laws of nature--gravity, particle physics, light, radiation, and more--in order to obtain predictions that can be tested against the night-sky observations," Pontzen explains, describing how computer simulations tackle such confounding questions as how stars form and how fast the universe is expanding. Tracing the history of scientific simulations, he begins in the 1970s when digital computers became sufficiently powerful to calculate the gravitational pull of dark matter and continues through the '80s and '90s, when simulations showed that neutrinos (subatomic particles believed to make up dark matter) were likely much lighter than initially thought. Pontzen excels at translating quantum physics and other difficult concepts into lay-friendly terms, but reader mileage will vary on the lengthy digressions about Bayesian probability, machine learning, and the relatively obscure "it-from-qubit hypothesis" (a variation on the idea that we all live in a simulation). Still, this look at the cutting edge of astronomy fascinates. Agent: Chris Wellbelove, Aitken Alexander Assoc. (June)

A cosmologist explains how ultramodern computer simulations are advancing scientists' ability to explore the universe in unprecedented detail. From forecasting the weather to predicting the spread of infectious disease, computer simulations are among the most powerful tools used by modern researchers. In this compelling book, Pontzen, a professor of cosmology at the University College London, delves into how simulation technology has advanced in recent decades, providing a wealth of new insights into one of the biggest questions in cosmology: how a "coherent, organized" universe--and one that supports, and is even contingent upon, the emergence of life--emerged. In elegant language that avoids technical jargon, the author lays bare the challenges and triumphs of computer modeling, explaining that even though supercomputers have an accelerating ability to crunch big data, there is an art to interpreting the results and detecting meaningful patterns. Taking simulations at face value, such as with certain financial modeling programs in the early 2000s, can have disastrous real-world effects. Yet simulations allow physicists to model the entire universe on both a macro and micro scale, yielding vital new information about phenomena including dark matter and energy, black holes, and even the formation of the universe. Indeed, one of the most enticing aspects of simulation, writes Pontzen, is the very humanness of collaborative creation and interpretation of code. "The most exciting results from simulations are not the virtual worlds they generate," he writes, "which are ever only a poor shadow of reality….The exhilaration lies in the human domain, where simulations express and explore relationships between different scientific ideas." This book is a testament to the amazing potential of simulations to reveal new truths about the world around us and our place within it. An enthralling analysis of simulation, a formidable technology that may usher in a new era of cosmology. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.