- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Wiley (July 17 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0470286202
- ISBN-13: 978-0470286203
- Product Dimensions: 23.9 x 16.3 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 476 g
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#416,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Books > Science > Physics > Nuclear Physics > Particle Accelerators
- #52 in Books > Science > Experiments, Instruments & Measurement > Scientific Instruments
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"Halpern explains complex topics and theories concisely, frequently drawing on deft analogies...Halpern makes the search for mysterious particles pertinent and exciting by explaining clearly what we don't know about the universe, and offering a hopeful outlook for future research." (Publishers Weekly, August 2009)
Product Description
An accessible look at the hottest topic in physics and the experiments that will transform our understanding of the universe
The biggest news in science today is the Large Hadron Collider, the world's largest and most powerful particle-smasher, and the anticipation of finally discovering the Higgs boson particle. But what is the Higgs boson and why is it often referred to as the God Particle? Why are the Higgs and the LHC so important? Getting a handle on the science behind the LHC can be difficult for anyone without an advanced degree in particle physics, but you don't need to go back to school to learn about it. In Collider, award-winning physicist Paul Halpern provides you with the tools you need to understand what the LHC is and what it hopes to discover.
- Comprehensive, accessible guide to the theory, history, and science behind experimental high-energy physics
- Explains why particle physics could well be on the verge of some of its greatest breakthroughs, changing what we think we know about quarks, string theory, dark matter, dark energy, and the fundamentals of modern physics
- Tells you why the theoretical Higgs boson is often referred to as the God particle and how its discovery could change our understanding of the universe
- Clearly explains why fears that the LHC could create a miniature black hole that could swallow up the Earth amount to a tempest in a very tiny teapot
- "Best of 2009 Sci-Tech Books (Physics)"-Library Journal
- "Halpern makes the search for mysterious particles pertinent and exciting by explaining clearly what we don't know about the universe, and offering a hopeful outlook for future research."-Publishers Weekly
- Includes a new author preface, "The Fate of the Large Hadron Collider and the Future of High-Energy Physics"
The world will not come to an end any time soon, but we may learn a lot more about it in the blink of an eye. Read Collider and find out what, when, and how.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating, compelling and immensely readable, Aug 2 2009
By L. J. Tenzin-dolma - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Collider: The Search for the World's Smallest Particles (Hardcover)
Strap yourself in and prepare for a mind-expanding journey into the thrills and mysteries of the universe with award-winning physicist and author, Paul Halpern. This book is a gem.
The long-awaited moment when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN goes online has generated a great deal of excitement and (through misinformed press coverage) fear and trepidation. In `Collider' Halpern eloquently explains what the LHC is, how it will work, and what scientists will be looking for when it is operational.
The purpose of the LHC is to recreate the conditions which are thought to have existed less than a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang that birthed our universe. To help readers grasp the enormous potential of the discoveries that could be made, Halpern takes the reader on a thrilling adventure story that traces the footsteps of the scientists whose discoveries have pinpointed the extraordinary forces that created and sustain this planet that we call home.
Peppered with entertaining anecdotes and analogies which clarify the scientific principles, `Collider' is clearly a labour of love for its author. Halpern's highly infectious passion for science transmits itself through every page, and his explanations of the principles lend fuel to the imagination and generate a sense of wonder. The chapters take us on a compelling journey through subjects which include the standard model and the four forces, relativity, supersymmetry, the theory of everything, dark energy and dark matter, black holes, strangelets, wormholes and higher dimensions, describing what the LHC could divulge of these. The book concludes with the future plans for the Super LHC and the International Linear Collider.
For those who are concerned that the LHC will be the instrument of doom for our planet, unleashing black holes or strangelets which would annihilate the earth, Halpern gives reassurance. He points out that it is the energy `per particle' which will reproduce the early conditions, and that this amounts to `less than a billionth of a dietary calorie per collision.'
Like Carl Sagan before him, Paul Halpern has an extraordinary gift for enabling readers to envision the universe as he does; as a wondrous place where everything, from the tiniest particle to the largest star, is dependent on particular forces. `Collider' reveals what we could learn when the portal of possibility that is the LHC shares its secrets and reveals more about these forces which shaped the cosmos.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Clear, thoughtful examination of the Large Hadron Collider -- exceptional science wriitng!, Aug 28 2009
By MisterG - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Collider: The Search for the World's Smallest Particles (Hardcover)
I think it is safe to say that CERN's Large Hadron Collider has captured the public's attention. Sadly, judging by what has been in the news, little of that attention has focused on the purpose of the project. Both the science -- and the incredible feat of engineering it took to create the LHC -- take a back seat to the hype. The Collider is not, as some claim, a "Doomsday Machine." Or, as portrayed in Dan Brown's Angels and Demons, a means of harvesting antimatter for use against the Vatican.
As strange as it might seem, the LHC is potentially much more amazing and wonderful than any silly doomsday scenario. And Paul Halpern's Collider will show you why. It is the perfect book to read while waiting for CERN to finally work out the kinks and start pushing particles.
In Collider, Halpern offers a clear and compelling explanation of the science behind high energy physics, and the history behind the creation of the LHC. Then he ties together both of these threads -- the history and the science -- to provide context for the search for the Higgs boson, and what that discovery could mean to our understanding of the universe. Halpern presents an overview of physics in the sort of plain, readable prose that makes you wish somebody had explained it to you this way long ago.
And, yes, he also tackles the claims that high-energy physics will destroy existence. (SPOILER: It won't!)
If you are, like me, awed by science and its practitioners, I think you could have no finer guidebook to the LHC than Paul Halpern's Collider.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
From the Four Fundamental Forces to the Brink of the Theory of Everything, Aug 11 2011
By D. Wayne Dworsky - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Collider: The Search for the World's Smallest Particles (Paperback)
A book that shows you the way slowly, flanked by three separate introductory segments is poised for demystifying those cursory preliminaries. Paul Halpern's new book, Collider, The Search for the World's Smallest Particles, promises to entice the reader with captivating insight
The book is fortified with an inviting preface, "The Fate of the Large Hadron Collider and the Future of High-Energy Physics," followed by a mesmerizing prologue, entitled "Journey to the Heart of the Large Hadron Collider." The opening is topped off with an intense introduction: "The Machinery of Perfection."
The main difference between fiction and non fiction is that while fiction develops and thickens the plot, non-fiction reveals the purpose and makes you feel that you've learned something worthwhile. And Collider does it all in good taste and style.
He begins by sorting out the secrets of creation. He moves on to the quest for a theory of everything and ends up striking gold and smashing successes. In his explanatory efforts he discusses the four fundamental forces and how they work. And he concludes by speculating about microscopic black holes and the future of high-energy physics. A book that brings the reader to the brink of understanding.
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