Collider : The Search for the World's Smallest Particles

by Paul Halpern

• ISBN13: 9780470485996
• ISBN10: 047048599X
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2009-07-01
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

"Paul Halpern is a gifted writer who brings science and scientists alive. This is a wonderful introduction to the world of high-energy physics, where gigantic machines and tiny particles meet." -Kenneth Ford, retired director of the American Institute of Physics and author of The Quantum World: Quantum Physics for Everyone"Professor Paul Halpern takes the reader on a stimulating odyssey on topics ranging from particle physics and dark matter to unexplored dimensions of space. The masterful Halpern likens the physicist's quest to the excavation of archaeologists who seek to uncover 'new treasures' as they unearth wondrous gems that lay hidden all around us. Buy this book and feed your mind!" -Dr. Cliff Pickover, author of Archimedes to Hawking and The Math Book"With clarity and a Sagan-esque gift for explanation, Paul Halpern traces the story of how physicists use immensely powerful machines to probe the deepest mysteries of existence. Halpern also conclusively debunks the ludicrous claims that the Large Hadron Collider and other high-energy physics experiments threaten to destroy anything-except our residual ignorance about the nature and workings of our wondrous universe." -Mark Wolverton, author of The Science of Superman and A Life in Twilight: The Final Years of J. Robert Oppenheimer"A gem. The prose sparkles, the descriptions are exquisitely understandable, and the narrative is just plain fun. This book will charm experts, students, and anyone interested in scientific exploration." -Catherine Westfall, Visiting Associate Professor of the History of Science at Lyman Briggs College, Michigan State University, and coauthor of Fermilab: Physics, the Frontier, and Megascience"Paul Halpern has written a masterful account of particle accelerators and the theories they are constructed to investigate in a very accessible and engaging style. As the world's largest accelerator begins its search for the smallest particles, Halpern traces the human drive to find the ultimate building blocks of nature. " -David C. Cassidy, professor at Hofstra University and the author of Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb"If you ever wondered about the Large Hadron Collider and what's brewing in high energy physics and cosmology, Paul Halpern is a wonderful guide. His lively and engaging writing deftly interweaves the historical background, the current frontiers, and the latest scientific instruments, now poised to address so many profound questions." -Peter Pesic, author of Sky in a Bottle and Seeing Double: Shared Identities in Physics, Philosophy, and Literature

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Prologue: Journey to the Heart of the Large Hadron Collider

Introduction: The Machinery of Perfection

The Secrets of Creation

The Quest for a Theory of Everything

Striking Gold: Rutherford's Scattering Experiments

Smashing Successes: The First Accelerators

A Compelling Quartet: The Four Fundamental Forces

A Tale of Two Rings: The Tevatron and the Super Proton Synchrotron

Deep in the Heart of Texas: The Rise and Fall of the Superconducting Super Collider

Crashing by Design: Building the Large Hadron Collider

Denizens of the Dark: Resolving the Mysteries of Dark Matter and Dark Energy

The Brane Drain: Looking for Portals to Higher Dimensions

Microscopic Black Holes: A Boon to Science or a Boom for the World?

Conclusion: The Future of High-Energy Physics: The International Linear Collider and Beyond

Notes

Further Reading

Index

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.