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Cracking the Particle Code of the Universe: The Hunt for the Higgs Boson Hardcover – Illustrated, Jan. 28 2014

by John Moffat (Author)

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Among the current books that celebrate the discovery of the Higgs boson, Cracking the Particle Code of the Universe is a rare objective treatment of the subject. The book is an insider's behind-the-scenes look at the arcane, fascinating world of theoretical and experimental particle physics
leading up to the recent discovery of a new boson. If the new boson is indeed the Higgs particle, its discovery represents an important milestone in the history of particle physics. However, despite the pressure to award Nobel Prizes to physicists associated with the Higgs boson, John Moffat argues
that there still remain important data analyses to be performed before uncorking the champagne.

John Moffat is Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Toronto and a senior researcher at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Well-known for his outside-the-box research on topics such as dark matter, dark energy, and the varying speed of light cosmology (VSL), his new book
takes a critical look at the hype surrounding the Higgs boson. In the process, he presents a cogent and often entertaining history of particle physics and an exploration of alternative theories of particle physics that do not feature the Higgs boson, including his own. He gives a detailed and
personal description of how theoretical physicists come up with new theories, and emphasizes how carefully experimental physicists must interpret the complex data now coming out of accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC).

The book does not shy away from controversial topics such as the sociology of particle physics. There is immense pressure on projects like the $9 billion LHC to come up with positive results in order to secure funding for the future. Yet to date, the Higgs boson may be the only positive result to
emerge from the LHC experiments. The searches for dark matter particles, mini-black holes, extra dimensions, and supersymmetric particles have all come up empty-handed, with serious consequences for theoretical physics, including string theory and gravity theory.

John Moffat is also the author of Reinventing Gravity (2008) and Einstein Wrote Back (2010).

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Product details

Publisher : Oxford University Press; Illustrated edition (Jan. 28 2014)
Language : English
Hardcover : 224 pages
ISBN-10 : 0199915520
ISBN-13 : 978-0199915521
Item Weight : 532 g
Dimensions : 23.62 x 16 x 3.05 cm

Best Sellers Rank: #733,229 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #75 in Particle Physics
- #252 in Nuclear Physics Books
- #1,567 in Physics Textbooks

Customer Reviews:
12 ratings

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Review

"John Moffat's book is an unusual mixture of scientific writing, detective story, and romance. It takes us on a very personal quest of understanding the nature of the new particle discovered at the Large Hadron Collider in 2012, highlighting the drama leading to this major discovery and the author's own alternative theoretical views challenged by the ATLAS and CMS experiment data. The author cleverly mixes scientific sections with a day-to-day account of the events that led to the discovery of the Higgs Boson and its aftermath. This is delightful reading for anyone interested in big science and theoretical ideas that led to the development of the standard model of particle physics. It is a passionate personal account of one of the most significant discoveries in particle physics of the past few decades." --Greg Landsberg, Brown University, CMS Physics Coordinator 2012-2013

"John Moffat has written a fascinating insider's account of the international struggle of theoretical and experimental physicists to understand the origin of mass, and to develop a simple unified theory of fundamental forces. Unlike most popular books, which focus on just the leading theory, Cracking the Particle Code describes how a plethora of competing ideas arose over the last five decades and how a combination of intuition, mathematical reasoning, and extraordinary technology is being applied to decide the issue." --Paul Steinhardt, Albert Einstein Professor in Science, Princeton University

"There are many books on the market that describe the Higgs boson discovery. This book's uniqueness is its author's uncompromising drive to question both theory and experiment." --London Times Higher Education

"For a picture of the global nature and excitement of the Higgs discovery, we turn to Cracking the Particle Code of the Universe. Moffat does not hold back on his engagement." --Physics Today

"Moffat's new book is a well-done and well-written survey of the history, achievements, and shortcomings of the Standard Model of particle physics. It will equip the reader with all the necessary knowledge to put into context the coming headlines about new discoveries at the LHC and future colliders." --Physics World

About the Author

John W. Moffat has been a professor of physics for more than three decades. He is currently Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto, a member of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and adjunct professor in the physics department at the
University of Waterloo. Moffat is well known for his alternative theory of gravity to Einstein's general relativity. He is the author of Reinventing Gravity: A Physicist Goes Beyond Einstein and Einstein Wrote Back: My Life in Physics.

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Top reviews from Canada

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

P. Salus

Phlogiston? Aether? Dark Matter?

Reviewed in Canada on March 16, 2014

Verified Purchase

This may be the time when physics needs a Kuhnian revolution, the sort of think that Copernicus brought to astronomy and Darwin to biology. It's over a half-century since Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" appeared. In it he points to a five-step process: (1) existing models conflict with facts; (2) theories are adjusted to account for anomalies (increasing complexity); (3) a new theory discards the prior framework; (4) the new theory is attacked by experts as being incompatible with the model; and (5) younger scientists accept the new theory, which becomes the consensus.

We are now near (3) and (4) where particle physics is concerned. Super-symmetry, strings, dark matter, dark energy, colors, charms, etc. are the epicycles of today.

John Moffat is our Virgil, leading us through the labyrinth of the particles and the (expensive) construct of CERN and the search for the Higgs boson. We still don't know whether the hints of two years ago were statistical anomalies or valid sightings. The feeling I have is that Peter Higgs et al. received the Nobel Prize because the vast expenditure of funds and time was otherwise unjustifiable. But in the current theory, we've done away with William of Ockham.

Perhaps.

But Moffat has given us a lucid description of theory and experimental findings. He has delivered an enjoyable "read." He has long been a "bad boy": suggesting a variable speed of light and an alternative to gravity (no, this doesn't mean that apples fall up).

I have the feeling that the snark is a boojum.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Colleen Myers

Hooray for Physics

Reviewed in Canada on March 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

Hooray for physics! Dr John Moffat of Waterloo, Ontario’s Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics has just written an exciting book that not only covers the ever unfolding history of physics (a wild ride of a detective story by any other name!!) but also brings a non-physicist reader, like me, up to date on the recent headline grabbing subject of the possible finding of the Higg’s boson, and what that means for the future of physics if the found particle does indeed turn out to be the elusive Higg’s.
The author’s vast knowledge of the past, present and possible future of theoretical physics and his personal code respecting the work of others even when he disagrees with their conclusions, is a highlight of the book. Moffat’s own contributions to the field have been many, but the overall tone is open and generous describing opposing theories, while at the same time, insisting that theories make “testable” predictions that are experimentally justifiable and not just philosophy or wishful thinking.

Oh, and the politics and economics surrounding the progress of physics may come as bit of a surprise. While most people think of physics as a totally noble endeavor, physics may have it’s own Dark Energy. Read this and be ready to be amazed.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Chock-full of jargon

Reviewed in Canada on October 12, 2015

I have read nearly two-dozen books on relativity, quantum mechanics, particle physics, etc. in recent years and "Cracking the Particle Code of the Universe" is possibly the least accessible book I have yet read on the subject. I am not new to this subject, and can recommend many fine reads on particle physics by Sean Carrol, John Gribbin, Brian Cox, Stephen Hawking, etc.

Many long sections of the book are written exclusively in inaccessible jargon. The author was intent on presenting his own alternative Higgs models instead of giving a straight-forward history/presentation of the Higgs mechanism, the LHC and the history of the development of the idea of the Higgs.

Most importantly, the book said very little about the actual hunt for the Higgs particle. I would highly recommend Sean Carrol's book "The Particle at the End of the Universe" as an outstanding read on the hunt for the Higgs Boson.

There are much better books on particle physics, and the Higgs particle than this one.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Satori Hugh

Good book although quite heavy-going in places

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

This is an interesting book that describes the author's involvement and opinions about the alleged discovery of the Higgs boson at CERN. The author takes us through a 'timeline' of that discovery, adding explanations, thoughts and opinions at each point. He describes how the data from the Large Hadron Collider is collected and analysed and what the results mean. He also goes into detail about how the discovery of a Higgs boson would go some way towards validating the standard model of particle physics but would introduce other problems into that model that would subsequently need to be resolved.

It's a fast-paced book and, although it has no maths in it as such (no equations, anyway), it is not really a beginner's book. It would help if the reader has some knowledge of the basics of quantum theory, gauge theories and the principles of symmetry as they're applied to particle physics. That's not to say a beginner wouldn't get something out of it, it's just that such a person may find themselves getting a bit lost amongst some of the concepts and terminology.

I tend to classify books like this from level 1 to level 3, with level 1 being what might be called 'popular science' and level 3 being more of a text book (with much accompanying mathematics). I'd see this book as level 2.

But this is a good book. The author looks at a lot of different angles and presents the opinions of others as well as he presents his own.

One person found this helpful

AER

brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 12, 2015

Verified Purchase

Of all the popular physics books I've read this was both the most informing and the most interesting. And topical

jag

Excellent summary of HEP.

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2015

Verified Purchase

As someone engaged in experimental high energy physics from the mid sixties onward, I found this book a quick and accurate summary of the field. However, the romp through the theoretical developments over a few decades would likely convey little to the general reader. Certainly not clear for whom this book is intended. Field theory, S-matrix, Reggie poles, ..., are pleasant history for the aging physicist, but foreign territory for most others. However, in a very positive sense, it is a balanced and correct historical account.

2 people found this helpful

P. Salus

Aether? Phlogiston? Epicycles?

Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2014

Verified Purchase

This may be the time when physics needs a Kuhnian revolution, the sort of thing that Copernicus brought to astronomy and Darwin to biology. It's over a half-century since Thomas Kuhn's "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" appeared. In it he points to a five-step process: (1) existing models conflict with facts; (2) theories are adjusted to account for anomalies (increasing complexity); (3) a new theory discards the prior framework; (4) the new theory is attacked by experts as being incompatible with the model; and (5) younger scientists accept the new theory, which becomes the consensus.

We are now near (3) and (4) where particle physics is concerned. Super-symmetry, strings, dark matter, dark energy, colors, charms, etc. are the epicycles of today.

John Moffat is our Virgil, leading us through the labyrinth of the particles and the (expensive) construct of CERN and the search for the Higgs boson. We still don't know whether the hints of two years ago were statistical anomalies or valid sightings. The feeling I have is that Peter Higgs et al. received the Nobel Prize because the vast expenditure of funds and time was otherwise unjustifiable. But in the current theory, we've done away with William of Ockham.

Perhaps.

But Moffat has given us a lucid description of theory and experimental findings. He has delivered an enjoyable "read." He has long been a "bad boy": suggesting a variable speed of light and an alternative to gravity (no, this doesn't mean that apples fall up).

I have the feeling that the snark is a boojum.

10 people found this helpful

pakri

Golden Burma

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2015

Verified Purchase

Invaluable insight into the Burmese people's soul from a writer who respected Buddhist
Burma which as has been observed by many writers is a country like no other.

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