Higgs
The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle'
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
The hunt for the Higgs particle has involved the biggest, most expensive experiment ever. So exactly what is this particle? Why does it matter so much? What does it tell us about the Universe? Did the discovery announced on 4 July 2012 finish the search? And was finding it really worth all the effort?
The short answer is yes. The Higgs field is proposed as the way in which particles gain mass - a fundamental property of matter. It's the strongest indicator yet that the Standard Model of physics really does reflect the basic building blocks of our Universe. Little wonder the hunt and discovery of this new particle produced such intense media interest.
Here, Jim Baggott explains the science behind the discovery, looking at how the concept of a Higgs field was invented, how the vast experiment was carried out, and its implications on our understanding of all mass in the Universe.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Confronted with talk of the "God particle," a phenomenon that has recently been the subject of much media attention, many have responded with some form of the question, "What was all the fuss about?" Here, science writer Baggott (A Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments) explains the search for and the importance of this elusive particle. First posited by Peter Higgs in 1964, the Higgs boson, as it is officially known, is purportedly responsible for particles attaining mass; it was tentatively discovered in 2012 at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, but continues to baffle even those in the sciences. Baggott's tale encompasses years of complex theory, billions of dollars' worth of experimentation, and countless enterprising individuals, but the strength of this book is in its tracing of the ways in which physicists and models of reality work, showing how theoretical and mathematical systems build on others' successes and shortcomings. Filled with information that is refreshingly free of abstractions and analogies, this book is best-suited to those with a background in science. If readers can weather Baggott's data-rich terrain, they'll find a world of high energy, colorful quarks, and myriad mysteries.
