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Brian Randolph Greene (born February 9, 1963) is an American physicist known for his research on string theory. He is a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University, director of its center for theoretical physics, and the chairman of the World Science Festival, which he co-founded in 2008. Greene co-discovered mirror symmetry, relating two different Calabi–Yau manifolds. (1992). 9789627670018, International Press. ISBN 9789627670018 He also described the Flop-transition, a mild form of topology change, and the conifold transition, a more severe transformation of space, showing that topology can smoothly change in string theory.
His books The Elegant Universe (1999), The Fabric of the Cosmos (2004), The Hidden Reality (2011), and Until the End of Time (2020) were all top 10 New York Times bestsellers. Greene hosted two Emmy and Peabody Award Winning NOVA miniseries based on his books. He also appeared on The Big Bang Theory episode "The Herb Garden Germination", as well as in the films Frequency and The Last Mimzy. From 2015 to 2020, he served on the board of overseers of Harvard University, and is currently a member of the board of sponsors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
After graduating from Stuyvesant High School in 1980, where he was classmates with fellow physicist and science popularizer Lisa Randall, Greene studied physics at Harvard University, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude. He then did doctoral study in theoretical physics at Magdalen College, Oxford, under Graham Ross and James Binney. He received a Doctor of Philosophy in 1987 with a thesis entitled "Superstrings: topology, geometry and phenomenology and astrophysical implications of supersymmetric models". Thesis Brian Randolph Greene: Superstrings - website of Oxford University Research Archive While at Oxford, Greene also studied piano with the concert pianist Jack Gibbons.
Greene co-discovered a particular class of symmetry relating two different Calabi–Yau manifolds, known as mirror symmetry and is known for his research on the flop-transition, a mild form of topology change, and also the conifold transition, a more severe transformation of space, showing that topology in string theory can change smoothly. (1998). 9780444828675, Elsevier Science. ISBN 9780444828675
Greene has also studied string cosmology, especially the imprints of trans-Planckian physics on the cosmic microwave background, and brane-gas cosmologies that could explain why the space around us has three large . His work has expanded on the suggestion of a black hole electron, namely that a black hole can continuously transform into a particle such as an electron.
Currently, Greene is studying non-simply connected and non-Orientability compactifications and has showed that in some of these contexts, signals can have an effective speed greater than that of light, and even Time travel.
Greene's second book, (2004), a New York Times Best Seller, is about space, time, and the nature of the universe. Aspects covered in this book include non-local particle entanglement as it relates to special relativity and basic explanations of string theory. It is an examination of the very nature of matter and reality, covering such topics as spacetime and cosmology, origins and unification, and including an exploration into reality and the imagination.
Greene's third book, , published in January 2011, was a New York Times Best Seller and deals in greater depth with multiple universes, or, as they are sometimes referred to collectively, the multiverse.
Greene's most recent book, (2020), was a New York Times Best Seller and explores the universe's evolution and likely end, as well as the Abiogenesis and consciousness, bridging Cosmology and Existentialism thought.
Greene's second book, The Fabric of the Cosmos, was adapted into a four-part PBS television special of the same name, hosted and narrated by Greene, which premiered in 2011 and was nominated for multiple Emmy Awards.
Greene was also featured in ABC's Nightline in Primetime: Brave New World series.
Greene wrote the stage work Light Falls: Space, Time, and an Obsession of Einstein, which traces Albert Einstein discovery of the General Theory of Relativity, and his subsequent failed attempts to find what he called "the unified theory." The original score was written by Jeff Beal and visuals and stage production were created by 59 Productions, with executive producer Tracy Day. The work premiered on February 19, 2019 at the Gerald Lynch Theater in New York City, with Greene in the role of narrator, and was filmed by Great Performances for national broadcast on PBS on the Centennial of the confirmation of General Relativity, May 29, 2019.
Greene wrote the stage work Time, Creativity and the Cosmos, exploring the origin of the universe, life, and creative expression, which premiered on May 30, 2017 at Lincoln Center Rose Theater, with Greene in the role of narrator and performers Pilobolus, Joshua Bell, Renee Fleming, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and David Draiman.
Greene was a technical consultant for the film Frequency, in which he also had a cameo role. He was a consultant on the 2006 time travel movie Déjà Vu. He also had a cameo appearance as an Intel scientist in 2007's The Last Mimzy. Greene was also mentioned in the 2002 Angel episode "Supersymmetry" and in the 2008 Stargate Atlantis episode "Trio".
Greene has lectured outside of the collegiate setting, at both a general and a technical level, in more than twenty-five countries and all seven continents. In 2012, he received the Richtmyer Memorial Award, which is given annually by the American Association of Physics Teachers.
In May 2013, the Science Laureates of the United States Act of 2013 (H.R. 1891; 113th Congress) was introduced into Congress. Brian Greene was listed by one commentator as a possible nominee for the position of Science Laureate, if the act were to pass.
In March 2015, an spider that uses to hunt prey, Dolomedes briangreenei, was to be named in honor of Brian Greene.
Greene has stated that he regards science as being incompatible with literalist interpretations of religion and that there is much in the New Atheism movement which resonates with him because he personally does not feel the need for religious explanation. However, he is uncertain of its efficacy as a strategy for spreading a scientific worldview. In an interview with The Guardian he stated: "When I'm looking to understand myself as a human, and how I fit in to the long chain of human culture that reaches back thousands of years, religion is a deeply valuable part of that story."
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