Description
In 1928 the physicist Paul Dirac predicted the existence of antimatter in a mirror world, where the electrical charges on particles would be opposite to those of ordinary matter. This mirror world is found, fleetingly, at the quantum level, with positrons the counterpart of electrons, and antiprotons the opposite of protons. This book introduces the world of antimatter without using technical language or equations. The author shows how the quest for symmetry in physics slowly revealed the properties of antimatter. When large particle accelerators came on line, the antimatter debris of collisions provided new clues on its properties. This is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.
A fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.
About the Author
Gordon Fraser works at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, Geneva, Switzerland, where he is Editor of CERN Courier, a monthly magazine covering all aspects of particle physics. He has been a Visiting Lecturer in Science Communication at several universities.
Reviews
'I read Gordon Fraser's new book, Antimatter: the Ultimate Mirror, with awe and envy ... [he] has done an excellent job in making the arcane accessible, in a style that suggests adventure novel rather than dry scientific text. If more scientists could write like this, I dare say more would be understandable.' David Myton, Education Review
'Antimatter is the fuel of science fiction, propelling, for example, Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise, but its study is also a burgeoning branch of modern science. Fraser, a physicist at the CERN European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, here offers a thoughtful, no-nonsense account of the strange world of antimatter ... Written for the serious layperson, Fraser's absorbing narrative ... imparts a keen sense of the colorful personalities involved, and of their thought processes and discoveries, without ever introducing maths or burdensome technical detail.' Publishers Weekly
'... a superb review on the prediction and discovery of antimatter ... this is a great 'must read' book.' Stuart Tovey, The Physicist
'This book introduced the Lewis Carroll world of antimatter ... this is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.' Physics Courier
Book Information
ISBN 9780521652520
Author Gordon Fraser
Format Hardback
Page Count 222
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 495g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 160mm * 22mm
A fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.
About the Author
Gordon Fraser works at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, Geneva, Switzerland, where he is Editor of CERN Courier, a monthly magazine covering all aspects of particle physics. He has been a Visiting Lecturer in Science Communication at several universities.
Reviews
'I read Gordon Fraser's new book, Antimatter: the Ultimate Mirror, with awe and envy ... [he] has done an excellent job in making the arcane accessible, in a style that suggests adventure novel rather than dry scientific text. If more scientists could write like this, I dare say more would be understandable.' David Myton, Education Review
'Antimatter is the fuel of science fiction, propelling, for example, Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise, but its study is also a burgeoning branch of modern science. Fraser, a physicist at the CERN European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, here offers a thoughtful, no-nonsense account of the strange world of antimatter ... Written for the serious layperson, Fraser's absorbing narrative ... imparts a keen sense of the colorful personalities involved, and of their thought processes and discoveries, without ever introducing maths or burdensome technical detail.' Publishers Weekly
'... a superb review on the prediction and discovery of antimatter ... this is a great 'must read' book.' Stuart Tovey, The Physicist
'This book introduced the Lewis Carroll world of antimatter ... this is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.' Physics Courier
Book Information
ISBN 9780521652520
Author Gordon Fraser
Format Hardback
Page Count 222
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 495g
Dimensions(mm) 236mm * 160mm * 22mm
