Enjoy Our Universe is a guide for an enjoyable visit to the Universe. The "Universe" refers to all "observable things," ranging in size from the entire cosmos to elementary particles. This small tome on fundamental physics, cosmology, Higgs bosons, time travel and all that, is unlike any other analogous book. Its scientific statements are correct or, at least, they coincide with the opinions held by the vast majority of experts. It establishes clear distinctions between things we know for sure -- in the sense of having strong observational support for them -- and things that we know that we do not know, or we do not understand. In this sense, it is scientifically honest. In descriptions of our Universe and of the way it functions, beauty is a recurring word. In an attempt to portray its beauty from the eyes of the beholder, the book is profusely illustrated. Its offbeat, tongue-in-cheek illustrations greatly enhance its readability, particularly in those chapters whose understanding, admittedly, requires a little extra effort. This book's idiosyncracies remind us of our own smallness and eccentricities even as we read about the logic, function and magnificence of the Universe.

About the Author
Alvaro De Rujula was born in Madrid, where he studied physics and obtained his PhD. He has worked in Italy (International Institute of Theoretical Physics, Trieste), France (Institut des Hautes Etudes Scientifiques), the USA (Harvard and Boston Universities) and CERN (in various positions, from Summer Student to leader of the Theory Division). He also is currently at the Instituto de Fisica Teorica of the Autonomous University of Madrid (IFT/UAM/CSIC). In the 1970's he contributed to the consolidation of the Standard Model of Particle Physics, mainly QCD and its charmed quarks. He has also worked on neutrinos (mass measurements and Earth tomography), the absence of antimatter in the Universe, how to discover the Higgs...

Reviews
Few books have attempted to tell the full story of the microverse and macroverse and their deep, unexpected connections. Alvaro De Rujula's Enjoy Our Universe does so with success * Michael S. Turner, Physics Today *
De Rujula guides readers through a thoughtful, well-structured introduction to the basic elements of particle physics, general relativity, and cosmology. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED * J. R. Burciaga, Colorado College, CHOICE connect *
...a truly original and unconventional essay for agile minds. There are no doubts that this book will be appreciated not only by the public but also by undergraduate students, teachers and active scientists. * Massimo Giovannini, CERN Courier *
... the author tries successfully to condense everything from theoretical physics, to astronomy, to elementary particles and everything in between in a small book meant for the uninitiated. * Nature Astronomy *
Alvaro De Rujula takes us on an exciting trip from the Big Bang, to the Expanding Universe, to the intricacies of Quantum Physics, telling us both how much we know, and how much we don't know. He does this very personally, and with humor, insight and almost no mathematics. What a fantastic journey! * Barry Barish, Nobel Laureate in Physics, California Institute of Technology *
Enjoy Our Universe is a spectacularly wide-ranging introduction to the disciplines lying at the ends of the ladder of size: particle theory and cosmology. De Rujula's light touch and imaginative illustrations should make many fascinating aspects of these fundamental sciences accessible to the canonical well-educated lay reader. He offers a scientifically scrupulous description of all you might care to know about our marvellous universe. * Sheldon Lee Glashow, Nobel Laureate in Physics, Boston University *



Book Information
ISBN 9780198817802
Author Alvaro De Rujula
Format Hardback
Page Count 224
Imprint Oxford University Press
Publisher Oxford University Press
Weight(grams) 424g
Dimensions(mm) 224mm * 148mm * 18mm