Space Oddities
The Mysterious Anomalies Challenging Our Understanding Of The Universe
-
- £9.99
-
- £9.99
Publisher Description
'A cracking tale of particle physics and cosmology . . . Space Oddities is a rare joy – enlightening, thrilling and inspiring.' – New Scientist
'As fascinating as its title suggests . . . Cliff recounts with vivid clarity the stories of some of the most striking oddnesses that have lit up the landscape of modern physics.' – Philip Pullman
Newly discovered strangenesses could transform our understanding of the fundamentals of physics – and of the nature of reality. In this eye-opening account, CERN experimental physicist Harry Cliff takes the reader on a tour of a new universe . . .
Something strange is going on in the cosmos. Scientists are uncovering a catalogue of weird phenomena that simply can’t be explained by our long-established theories of the universe. Particles with unbelievable energies are bursting from beneath the Antarctic ice. Unknown forces seem to be tugging on the basic building blocks of matter. Stars are flying away from us far faster than anyone can explain.
In Space Oddities, Harry Cliff provides a riveting look at the universe’s most confounding puzzles. In a journey that spans continents, he meets the scientists hunting for answers, and asks: Are these anomalies accidents of nature, or could they be pointing us toward vast, hidden worlds?
With wonder, clarity, and a dose of humour, Cliff leads us on a mind-expanding investigation of physics and cosmology as they transform before us.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This superb study by University of Cambridge particle physicist Cliff (How to Make an Apple Pie from Scratch) examines contemporary physics' most intriguing mysteries through profiles of the scientists trying to solve them. Cliff details Italian physicist Linda Cremonesi's contributions to an Antarctic data collection project that in 2016 discovered unexpected cosmic rays ("charged particles like protons and nuclei") that appeared to travel upward from the ice, a finding some physicists speculate might result from a subatomic sterile neutrino particle, which can normally pass through matter, losing that ability while moving through the Earth and colliding with the ice on its way out. Cliff also examines Nobel Prize–winner Adam Riess's ongoing research attempting to resolve why direct and indirect measurements of how fast the universe is expanding don't match up, and physicist Chris Polly's efforts to determine whether the unusual magnetic properties of the muon ("an exotic, heavier cousin of the more familiar electron") are evidence of a quantum field that has yet to discovered. Cliff's lucid explanations do a remarkable job of making the complicated physics accessible and even exciting, and the focus on the scientists' stories ensconces the heady ideas in approachable, human narratives. This is a first-rate dispatch from the cutting edge of physics.