Description
At this very moment the most ambitious scientific experiment of all time is beginning, and yet its precise aims are little understood by the general public. This book aims to provide an everyman's guide for understanding and following the discoveries that will take place within the next few years at the Large Hadron Collider project at CERN. The reader is invited to share an insider's view of the theory of particle physics, and is equipped to appreciate the scale of the intellectual revolution that is about to take place. The technological innovations required to build the LHC are among the most astonishing aspects of this scientific adventure, and they too are described here as part of the LHC story. The book culminates with an outline of the scientific aims and expectations at the LHC. Does the mysterious Higgs boson exist? Does space hide supersymmetry or extend into extra dimensions? How can colliding protons at the LHC unlock the secrets of the origin of our universe? These questions are all framed and then addressed by an expert in the field. While making no compromises in accuracy, this highly technical material is presented in a friendly, accessible style. The book's aim is not just to inform, but to give the reader the physicist's sense of awe and excitement, as we stand on the brink of a new era in understanding the world in which we all live.
About the Author
Dr Gian Francesco Giudice Theoretical Physics Division, CERN Gian Francesco Giudice is a theoretical particle physicist and has been a member of the Theoretical Physics Division at CERN since 1993. Born in 1961, he graduated from the University of Padua and obtained his PhD in theoretical physics from ISAS in Trieste. His career has always been closely related to collider research: before coming to CERN he worked at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, near Chicago, as well as at the University of Texas, in the group of Prof. S. Weinberg, during the construction phase of the SSC. He has contributed to our present understanding of particle physics and cosmology with more than a hundred articles published in refereed scientific journals.
Reviews
If you have ever wondered what would drive an entire scientific community to spend 20 years designing a single experimental facility, or are merely curious as to what makes particle physics so fascinating and seductive, then this book is for you ... Both the layman and expert will find these insights into particle physics fascinating ... Reading this is like being led through the wonderland of theoretical physicists' most fervent imaginings by a slightly wicked, gossipy guide... * Tara Shears, Times Higher Education Supplement *
...enjoyable reading, with the important information that it carries mixed in with many fun facts and anecdotes of all sorts. Not to mention the spot-on explanatory metaphors that are distributed profusely throughout almost every chapter ... this book will become required reading for anyone interested in scientific human endeavour, in the reality of our world. * Richard Barbieri, CERN Courier *
...engaging and frequently witty, speckled with original analogies and pithy quotations from physicists and cultural figures alike ... an excellent introduction to the LHC. * Physics World *
Gian Giudice has given us a charming, comprehensive, and deep yet easily readable description of the history, technology, and scientific aspirations of the Large Hadron Collider, perhaps the greatest scientific experiment ever. * Gordon Kane, University of Michigan *
This book, written by one of the leaders of the field, has a number of outstanding qualities: it is brilliant, original, comprehensive, entertaining and clear. It is a must for cultivated, non specialist readers who want to get an introduction to contemporary particle physics and to the exciting programme of the Large Hadron Collider of CERN. * Guido Altarelli, University of Rome and CERN *
Gian Giudice has drawn on his deep understanding of physics to write a wonderful book, presenting the central ideas underlying the grand intellectual adventure of particle physics in an engaging and thought-provoking way. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the big questions we face in fundamental physics, and the ways we are tackling them. * Nima Arkani-Hamed, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton *
Gian Giudice provides a comprehensive introduction to the LHC as only a physicist working in the field could do. * Lisa Randall, Harvard University, author of the book, Warped Passages *
Gian Giudice has, as one would expect from such a clear and original thinker, produced a book which both challenges and excites, providing fresh insights into the domain of particles and their interactions. * Ken Peach, John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, University of Oxford and Royal Holloway University of London *
This fascinating book is entertaining and comprehensible, leading the reader to the world of extremes: the high technology of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and its huge particle detectors, the quest for the Higgs particle and the mysterious Dark Matter, and the theories of superstrings and extra dimensions at the verge of human imagination. * Thomas Lohse, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany *
This book shows that it is possible to describe to non-experts the frontiers of modern physics, in a way which is both faithful and comprehensible. I almost envy the author his right-on-the-bull's-eye explanatory metaphors. I believe that this book will become required reading for anyone interested in the reality of our world and in scientific human endeavour. * Riccardo Barbieri, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy *
I enjoyed this book tremendously. The weaving of important information with fun facts and anecdotes was awesome. * Savas Dimopoulos, Stanford University, winner of the 2006 Sakurai Prize in Theoretical Physics *
Awards
Winner of Finalist for the Galileo Prize 2012.
Book Information
ISBN 9780199581917
Author Gian Francesco Giudice
Format Hardback
Page Count 284
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 641g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 164mm * 20mm
About the Author
Dr Gian Francesco Giudice Theoretical Physics Division, CERN Gian Francesco Giudice is a theoretical particle physicist and has been a member of the Theoretical Physics Division at CERN since 1993. Born in 1961, he graduated from the University of Padua and obtained his PhD in theoretical physics from ISAS in Trieste. His career has always been closely related to collider research: before coming to CERN he worked at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, near Chicago, as well as at the University of Texas, in the group of Prof. S. Weinberg, during the construction phase of the SSC. He has contributed to our present understanding of particle physics and cosmology with more than a hundred articles published in refereed scientific journals.
Reviews
If you have ever wondered what would drive an entire scientific community to spend 20 years designing a single experimental facility, or are merely curious as to what makes particle physics so fascinating and seductive, then this book is for you ... Both the layman and expert will find these insights into particle physics fascinating ... Reading this is like being led through the wonderland of theoretical physicists' most fervent imaginings by a slightly wicked, gossipy guide... * Tara Shears, Times Higher Education Supplement *
...enjoyable reading, with the important information that it carries mixed in with many fun facts and anecdotes of all sorts. Not to mention the spot-on explanatory metaphors that are distributed profusely throughout almost every chapter ... this book will become required reading for anyone interested in scientific human endeavour, in the reality of our world. * Richard Barbieri, CERN Courier *
...engaging and frequently witty, speckled with original analogies and pithy quotations from physicists and cultural figures alike ... an excellent introduction to the LHC. * Physics World *
Gian Giudice has given us a charming, comprehensive, and deep yet easily readable description of the history, technology, and scientific aspirations of the Large Hadron Collider, perhaps the greatest scientific experiment ever. * Gordon Kane, University of Michigan *
This book, written by one of the leaders of the field, has a number of outstanding qualities: it is brilliant, original, comprehensive, entertaining and clear. It is a must for cultivated, non specialist readers who want to get an introduction to contemporary particle physics and to the exciting programme of the Large Hadron Collider of CERN. * Guido Altarelli, University of Rome and CERN *
Gian Giudice has drawn on his deep understanding of physics to write a wonderful book, presenting the central ideas underlying the grand intellectual adventure of particle physics in an engaging and thought-provoking way. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the big questions we face in fundamental physics, and the ways we are tackling them. * Nima Arkani-Hamed, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton *
Gian Giudice provides a comprehensive introduction to the LHC as only a physicist working in the field could do. * Lisa Randall, Harvard University, author of the book, Warped Passages *
Gian Giudice has, as one would expect from such a clear and original thinker, produced a book which both challenges and excites, providing fresh insights into the domain of particles and their interactions. * Ken Peach, John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science, University of Oxford and Royal Holloway University of London *
This fascinating book is entertaining and comprehensible, leading the reader to the world of extremes: the high technology of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and its huge particle detectors, the quest for the Higgs particle and the mysterious Dark Matter, and the theories of superstrings and extra dimensions at the verge of human imagination. * Thomas Lohse, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany *
This book shows that it is possible to describe to non-experts the frontiers of modern physics, in a way which is both faithful and comprehensible. I almost envy the author his right-on-the-bull's-eye explanatory metaphors. I believe that this book will become required reading for anyone interested in the reality of our world and in scientific human endeavour. * Riccardo Barbieri, Scuola Normale Superiore, Pisa, Italy *
I enjoyed this book tremendously. The weaving of important information with fun facts and anecdotes was awesome. * Savas Dimopoulos, Stanford University, winner of the 2006 Sakurai Prize in Theoretical Physics *
Awards
Winner of Finalist for the Galileo Prize 2012.
Book Information
ISBN 9780199581917
Author Gian Francesco Giudice
Format Hardback
Page Count 284
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 641g
Dimensions(mm) 242mm * 164mm * 20mm
