Introduction to Elementary Particles
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Do yourself a favor - BUY THIS BOOK NOW
  • The perfect introduction
  • Griffiths defines "Introductory Course"
  • Great Intro to Particle Physics
  • A grain of salt...
Introduction to Elementary Particles
David Griffiths
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471603864

Book Description

This is the first quantitative treatment of elementary particle theory that is accessible to undergraduates. Using a lively, informal writing style, the author strikes a balance between quantitative rigor and intuitive understanding. The first chapter provides a detailed historical introduction to the subject. Subsequent chapters offer a consistent and modern presentation, covering the quark model, Feynman diagrams, quantum electrodynamics, and gauge theories. A clear introduction to the Feynman rules, using a simple model, helps readers learn the calculational techniques without the complications of spin. And an accessible treatment of QED shows how to evaluate tree-level diagrams. Contains an abundance of worked examples and many end-of-chapter problems.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Do yourself a favor - BUY THIS BOOK NOW.......2007-07-17

Seriously, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, BUY THIS BOOK NOW.

I find it hard to describe to you in words how much I love this book. I am just speechless! This book will take you by the hand and spoon feed you all the important concepts and calculation steps. If you are thinking of pursuing a high energy physics and trying to find the very first book to read on this subject, Griffiths is THE ONE.

Reading QFT books before this book is in my opinion a NO-GO. Trust me from someone that has been there! You lose insight immediately and get taken down hard by the unfamiliar math. Griffiths knows how to explain things and always keeps in close contact with the actual physics. You will never lose motivation / insights into what's going on.

Take my word for it. BUY THIS BOOK NOW! You will save hundreds of hours invested on other books that claim to be "good". There are none of this kind.

After Griffiths, proceed to Ryder's QFT, and then Peskins. Then and only then will you finally see the light of the day. There are not other routes to the promised land.

5 out of 5 stars The perfect introduction.......2004-08-30

This is the perfect introduction for any student learning about particle physics, the Standard Model, or Quantum Field Theory. It introduces Feynman calculus very well, although anyone planning to continue will need Peskin & Schroeder's book as well for the details not introduced here. This book contains an excellent appendix with all formulae and rules needed for even an advanced researcher.

5 out of 5 stars Griffiths defines "Introductory Course".......2003-09-03

David Griffiths' texts are indispensable for any beginner, and are used to "translate" more advanced texts. I used his "Quantum Mechanics" to fill in the gaps at the advanced graduate level, and his "Electrodynamics" was essential to understanding Jackson. I'm sorry that I waited so long to purchase his "Elementary Particles".

This book contains all the background that professors expect you to have already been exposed to: particle classification schemes, the November Revolution, relativistic kinematics, and fundamental force overviews. Griffiths then goes on to discuss Feynman rules, QED, QCD, electroweak and gauge theories. Griffiths also works out some essential problems, like muon decay, that you will want to see done, but I think it is done better by Lahiri and Pal (that, however, is a field theory book, which might be more advanced than is necessary to some people in particle physics).

This is a great text for anyone starting out in particle physics and for anyone who needs to review the fundamentals. My only bone with Griffiths is that sometimes more of the work is left to the reader than is appropriate (those problems worked out in gory detail are a godsend when you genuinely aren't getting the point).

5 out of 5 stars Great Intro to Particle Physics.......2003-06-26

Griffiths' book provides an ideal introduction to particle physics for the undergraduate who is desperate to find a comprehensive treatment that is truly understandable. I was greatly disappointed by Griffiths' books on electrodynamics and quantum mechanics, but he really hit the mark on this one. There is the usual introductory material on the Standard Model, relativistic kinematics, symmetries and bound states, but his presentations of QED, Feynman calculus, decays and interactions are clearly written and geared for the student who has been frustrated by the obtuseness of other so-called introductory texts. His exposition on gauge theories, the Yang-Mills field and the Higgs mechanism is elementary but enlightening and even entertaining.

Griffiths' sly wit is in great evidence in this text, and this is one of the reasons why it is so enjoyable. Although he displays a similar witty vein in his other texts, it just doesn't succeed as it does for this book. If you want to be able to calculate particle decay rates and interaction cross sections and have fun doing it, Griffiths' book is an excellent investment.

5 out of 5 stars A grain of salt..........2002-05-01

OK. It seems that I am the one who criticizes all the books that everyone else loves.
The book is very good as far as didactics is concerned. But have you really read it? Let me ask you a few questions:

How many typos can you find in chapter 9?
What do you think - had ANYONE proofread Chapter 11 before the book was published?
What about the exercises -can you do 9.2 without Halzen and Martin at hand (so that you may look up what, say, |7'> really means? (Griffiths mixes notation from the two books and you can never solve the exercise without intoroducing some corrections).

There are many more questions like these to be asked about the Introduction to Elementary Particles.
So, do you like the content or the lively style?

But, of course, five stars!
An Introduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Review for An Intoduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics
  • Updated New Edition
  • workout with the Standard Model lagrangian
  • well written book but...
  • Excellent Introduction to Particle Physics
An Introduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics
W. N. Cottingham , and D. A. Greenwood
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0521852498

Book Description

The new edition of this introductory graduate textbook provides a concise but accessible introduction to the Standard Model. It has been updated to account for the successes of the theory of strong interactions, and the observations on matter-antimatter asymmetry. It has become clear that neutrinos are not mass-less, and this book gives a coherent presentation of the phenomena and the theory that describes them. It includes an account of progress in the theory of strong interactions and of advances in neutrino physics. The book clearly develops the theoretical concepts from the electromagnetic and weak interactions of leptons and quarks to the strong interactions of quarks. Each chapter ends with problems, and hints to selected problems are provided at the end of the book. The mathematical treatments are suitable for graduates in physics, and more sophisticated mathematical ideas are developed in the text and appendices.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Review for An Intoduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics.......2007-10-04

According to my opinion this book is well written and well organized and also quite short so that you are not lost in details.

5 out of 5 stars Updated New Edition.......2007-05-15

In this second edition the authors have upgraded their book to incorporate recent discoveries in several areas including:

o the successes of the theory of strong interactions
o the observations on matter-antimatter asymmetry
o advances in neutrino physics, especially as it has become clear that neutrinos are not mass-less
o the theoretical concepts from the electromagnetic and weak interactions of leptons and quarks to the strong interactions of quarks.

The book is aimed at the graduate student in particle physics. It has a rigorous mathematical structure. After all, the Standard Model is basically a mathematical theory that describes the interactions between leptons and quarks.

Throughout the book there are many references to open questions that likewise reflect the state of the Standard Model.

5 out of 5 stars workout with the Standard Model lagrangian.......2005-10-25


This book is about the experimental facts and the theoretical principles that lead to the construction of the Standard Model lagrangian. It is NOT about calculating scattering crossections. Some of the problems ask you to calculate decay rates but only at tree level and the fields are treated like classical fields not operators, with the exception that the fermionic fields anticommute. There is a 12-page chapter on quantizing the fields and renormalization but I find it rather sketchy so don't expect to understand a lot from it if you don't already know it.

You should have some background in varying lagrangians otherwise the book will frequently seem difficult to you. The authors obtain symmetry currents corresponding to a symmetry of the lagrangian not in the standard way of Noether's theorem. Their method is entirely correct but it took me long time to understand because they didn't explain it with enough details the first time they used it (section 7.1, page 65). I think that will throw off the horse many readers.

The style is wonderfully concise which makes the logical structure easier to follow and there isn't the usual fluff `to motivate' things that are simply put guesses like the principle of local gauge invariance. On the other hand, some places definitely need more detailed explanations like signs of certain quantities or the symmetry currents I mentioned above.

The treatment of the Dirac equation and spinors is the least messy I've seen. The way they obtain the nonrelativistic limit of the Dirac equation with EM field is again the best and least messy I've seen.

The book has nice appendix on the groups of the Standard Model which covers what you need to know about SO(3), SU(2) and SU(3) in a very efficient way. There are about 5 problems after each chapter most of which have a solution outline at the end of the book.

Things I understood from this book:

-- why time reversal, space inversion and charge conjugation of fields are defined in a way that previously seemed to me quite arbitrary
-- how demanding local gauge invariance necessitates introduction of gauge fields which leads to interaction terms
-- how local gauge invariance can't be proven, it's just a guess that has worked so far hence it's called `principle' (my own interpretation)
-- global and local symmetry breaking, Goldstone bosons and Higgs boson
-- how the Lagrangian densities of the electroweak and strong interactions were constructed from the experimental input by demanding local gauge invariance and guessing the symmetry group to be SU(2) and SU(3) correspondingly
-- what's Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix that mixes the quark fields and how it arises
-- how symmetries of the lagrangian density lead to conservation numbers
-- how neglecting some terms in the lagrangian leads to effective lagrangian and effective theory
-- how to work with the terms in the QCD lagrangian where different matrices multiply different indices

4 out of 5 stars well written book but..........2005-09-24

This is a very short resume of Standard Model, but well written,
the misguidance here, is the title "introduction" ... this text
is not for beginners.

5 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to Particle Physics.......2002-04-01

This book is an excellent introduction to particle physics. The chapters are short, clear and very readable. As the previous reviewer mentioned, there are a series of reasonable exercises at the end of each chapter with answers provided in the back of the book. Many concepts that field theory or particle physics books leave mysterious or have a difficult time explaining are clearly laid out in this book. I would judge it superior to Griffiths particle physics book, and if you are looking for a nice supplement to serious study of quantum field theory, this is it.
An Introduction to the Physics of High Energy Accelerators (Wiley Series in Beam Physics and Accelerator Technology)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • An excellent introduction
An Introduction to the Physics of High Energy Accelerators (Wiley Series in Beam Physics and Accelerator Technology)
D. A. Edwards , and M. J. Syphers
Manufacturer: Wiley-Interscience
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0471551635

Book Description

The first half deals with the motion of a single particle under the influence of electronic and magnetic fields. The basic language of linear and circular accelerators is developed. The principle of phase stability is introduced along with phase oscillations in linear accelerators and synchrotrons. Presents a treatment of betatron oscillations followed by an excursion into nonlinear dynamics and its application to accelerators. The second half discusses intensity dependent effects, particularly space charge and coherent instabilities. Includes tables of parameters for a selection of accelerators which are used in the numerous problems provided at the end of each chapter.

Customer Reviews:

4 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction.......2000-05-18

This book is a superb introduction to the field of acclereator physics. Starting with a basic knowledge of relativity and E&M is all that is necessary. Edwards and Syphers do a great job of "building" an accelerator in their book and using operating parameters of real world accelerators (mostly the Tevatron) for their numerical examples.

My only complaint is that some of the problems could be worded more clearly and concisely
Introduction to Radiometry and Photometry (Optoelectronics Library)
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    Introduction to Radiometry and Photometry (Optoelectronics Library)
    William Ross McCluney , and Ross McCluney
    Manufacturer: Artech House Publishers
    ProductGroup: Book
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    An Introduction to the Physics of Nuclei and Particles
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      An Introduction to the Physics of Nuclei and Particles
      Richard Dunlap
      Manufacturer: Brooks Cole
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      Timely and engaging, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PHYSICS OF NUCLEI AND PARTICLES focuses on one of the most exciting areas of physics. Author Richard Dunlap has taught this course for the last ten years-during the last two of which he used this text successfully in his own classroom. The author designed this text to provide flexibility and freedom for instructors teaching a one-semester course by including a wealth of problems as well as approximately 20% more material than is necessary for the average 14-week course. In order to ensure that the book is up-to-date and interesting for the students, the author has included recent research results whenever possible and has presented data from ongoing experiments. This is particularly relevant for fields in which there is considerable current research activity, such as neutrino masses and oscillations, quark masses and controlled fusion.
      Particle Physics: A Comprehensive Introduction
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        Abraham Seiden
        Manufacturer: Addison Wesley
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        Introduction to High Energy Physics
        Average customer rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
        • An absolutely HORRIBLE book to use to learn high energy physics
        • Be prepared before reading this.
        • Not horrible for what it is, but you can do better
        • Introduction to Experimental Methods
        • A absolutely horrible introduction to High Energy Physics
        Introduction to High Energy Physics
        Donald H. Perkins
        Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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        Binding: Hardcover

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        ASIN: 0521621968

        Book Description

        This highly regarded textbook for advanced undergraduates provides a comprehensive introduction to modern particle physics. Coverage emphasizes the balance between experiment and theory. It places stress on the phenomenological approach and basic theoretical concepts rather than rigorous mathematical detail. Donald Perkins also details recent developments in elementary particle physics, as well as its connections with cosmology and astrophysics. A number of key experiments are also identified along with a description of how they have influenced the field. Perkins presents most of the material in the context of the Standard Model of quarks and leptons. He also fully explores the shortcomings of this model and new physics beyond its compass (such as supersymmetry, neutrino mass and oscillations, GUTs and superstrings). The text includes many problems and a detailed and annotated further reading list. The volume will also provide a solid foundation for graduate study.

        Customer Reviews:

        1 out of 5 stars An absolutely HORRIBLE book to use to learn high energy physics.......2007-07-21

        It has been two full years since I received my doctorate in nuclear physics, and still I can't get over just how truly horrible this book is as an introductory text. The word "introduction" in the title is an absolute lie. Unless, perhaps, it is preceded by the word "incomprehensible". This book is truly a collection of random facts that will leave the reader totally mystified as to where they came from. It will not be until much later in the reader's academic career that he/she understands their origin. Perkins has but one practical use: it is slightly useful to skim the day before your doctoral oral qualifier as (it seems) many professors similarly skim it in order to come up with qualifier oral questions to ask.

        But I don't hold Perkins to blame. After all, I'm sure he did his best to write what he considered to be an "introductory" high energy physics book. Whom I hold to blame are the professors who use this book as a classroom text. Here is a simple rule to use when determining whether you should take your college's high energy physics class now or else wait until it is offered next year: if the professor is using this text, then he/she truly 1) has not read the text, 2) is totally out of touch with what an "introductory" course in high energy physics is, and 3) doesn't care one bit about his/her students and is probably, instead, focusing purely on his/her research successes for tenure.

        You have been warned.

        4 out of 5 stars Be prepared before reading this........2006-07-16

        This is a book whose content is close to that of most 'traditional' undergraduate courses on particle physics. Yet, you will probably be tempted to throw it in the dustbin after a few pages unless you have trained yourself into thinking that it's better reading it than failing your exam and have already read a book like Giffiths' before, where you will find some good theoretical basis for all this stuff.

        3 out of 5 stars Not horrible for what it is, but you can do better.......2005-04-15

        Basically, If you want theoretical approach stop reading this and buy griffiths' book, it's a lot better.
        I'm using Perkins for a course mainly made up of senior undergraduates. First of all, a lot of the other reviewers have ripped the book to shreds, and most of their complaints are valid. I'd like to point out that this book actually attempts a fairly difficult task of introducing relatively advanced concepts which require qft, to students without any background in field theory.
        The long and the short of it is... Perkins' book is geared for learning with a phenomonological, experimental approach. This results in a lot of hand waving, and not many mathematical or theoretical insights. If you're expecting these things, the book will be dissapointing.
        All of this aside, there are some major flaws in the book. First of all, it kind of lacks on organization. There are a lot of charts, tables and graphs thrown about at random, and with little reasoning or thought. This makes Perkins' fairly useless as a reference, since you might have to look at four or more different charts to find out the relevant properties of a given particle.
        My other major complaint, is that Perkins uses a lot of jargon without sufficiently introducing the terminology. While, this is fine for people who already know particle physics, I'm guessing that if you're reading this book, you don't already know particle physics.
        Finally, despite being a fourth addition, there are still a bunch of misprints/omissions. For example, there's a question (which i conveniently had for a homework assignment) totally based on a concept not mentioned anywhere within the book. Google searches on the topic led only to obscure and inaccessible papers.
        Basically, if you have to use this book for a course be prepared to read and re-read each section of it, and to suppliment with other books. I'd suggest buying griffiths along with it, event if you're not into the whole theory thing.

        4 out of 5 stars Introduction to Experimental Methods.......2005-04-12

        As many previous reviewers have already pointed out, this book is not nearly as good an introduction to theoretical high energy physics as Griffiths' "Introduction to Elementary Particles". The primary reason for this is that Perkins' book was never meant to be read as a theoretical course in the first place. This is why Griffiths introduces Feynman rules and gamma matrices near the middle of the book and uses them extensively throughout the rest; Perkins mentions them in passing in the first chapter and then completely forgets them. In Perkins you will find little rigorous math, but a lot of experimental physics. If you want to understand the theory behind T violation, use Griffiths. If you want to know how physicists measured the electric dipole momentum of the neutron ( thus putting an upper limit on the magnitude of T violation ), Perkins will explain it in detail, together with the schematics of the apparatus they used.
        Overall, this book does not fit its title well - it is not a good introduction to high energy physics ( unless you are so totally averse to math that you can't manage Griffiths or Peskin/Shroeder ). However, it has its own purpose - that is, to teach experimental methods in high energy physics. It probably should be studied after Griffiths by those who are interested in experimental side of particle physics.

        1 out of 5 stars A absolutely horrible introduction to High Energy Physics.......2003-10-25

        I used Perkin's book for a one sememester 500 level graduate course. I honestly believe that of the 20+ books that I have used in undergrad and grad school, that this is the absolute worst text I have encountered. The equations in the text are mearly thrown in without the slightest justification or hint of the possible method of derivation. If you would truly understand the significance of the equations, then you would need a background knowledge that I can hardly believe anybody looking for an introduction to high energy physics could have. However, this is far from its biggest pitfall. The book is choppy to read. There are almost no quantitative examples and yet the questions are mostly quantitative. I am sure that I could think of more specifics dislikes, but I think that the reader has seen my opion. To anybody considering buying this text I suggest instead purchasing griffiths "introduction to elementary particles." My class was so displeased with perkins text that our professor has promised to switch to griffiths next year. To reiterate.... Perkins book is the epitome of bad writing. I give my apologies to the author, but I don't want others to waste their time and money on this text. Buy Griffiths Book, it is good!
        The Ideas of Particle Physics: An Introduction for Scientists
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • Unever presentation ...
        • for physicists outside particle physics
        • The best particle physics book! ever
        • Clear, concise, explanations accessible to undergrad student
        The Ideas of Particle Physics: An Introduction for Scientists
        G. D. Coughlan , J. E. Dodd , and B. M. Gripaios
        Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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        ASIN: 0521677750

        Book Description

        The third edition of this well-received book is a readable introduction to the world of particle physics. It bridges the gap between traditional textbooks on the subject and popular accounts that assume little or no background knowledge. Carefully revised and updated, this new edition covers all of the important concepts in our modern understanding of particle physics. The theoretical development of the subject is traced from the foundations of quantum mechanics and relativity through to the most recent particle discoveries and the formulation of modern string theory. It includes a full description of the prospects for the Large Hadron Collider at CERN, which will allow many key ideas to be tested. The book is intended for anyone with a background in the physical sciences who wishes to learn more about particle physics. It is also valuable to students of physics wishing to gain an introductory overview of the subject.

        Customer Reviews:

        3 out of 5 stars Unever presentation ..........2006-04-10

        I cannot agree with many of the comments in earlier reviews of this book. To begin, the intended audience remains unclear. There is insufficient mathematics to get much of a feel for the topic and frequently the mathematical ideas which do appear fall from the sky with little or no warning. Even more troubling is that these concepts, crucial for any real understanding, are often left half done. This must leave many mathematically competent readers nonplussed and leave the mathematically challenged simply out in left field.

        There are better, more modern, books out there for the technically inclined. This books is not even close to being "the best physics book ever".

        Look at a library copy before buying.

        4 out of 5 stars for physicists outside particle physics.......2005-07-19

        I knew one of the authors (Coughlan) when we were undergraduates at the University of Western Australia. So it was with some interest that I went through this book. While I can't tell which was his contribution and which was the other author's, the combined effort is an elegant rendition of particle physics, circa late 1980s.

        A merit of the book is who it is pitched at. It is not really for a generalist outside physics. Rather, it seems best suited for the physicist (student or not) who is not in particle physics. Non-physicists may be surprised at this, but particle physics can seem strange and forbidding even to physicists. The text gives enough detailed physics to satisfy a physicist; that he is indeed getting enough of the real stuff to gain insight.

        While the title does say it is for scientists, I wonder a little about how accessible the book might be to a typical chemist or geologist.

        5 out of 5 stars The best particle physics book! ever.......2000-05-04

        This is such an up to date and accurate book I have never read a book that explains particle physics in such detail yet keeps the information understandable. If your are just starting out in particle physics read this book. It's brilliant!

        5 out of 5 stars Clear, concise, explanations accessible to undergrad student.......1996-12-13

        Excellent use of figures and pictures in place of equations. Useful for an undergrad survey course, or as a reference for grad courses. Fred Olness, SMU
        An Introduction to Gauge Theories and Modern Particle Physics (Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology)
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • A clear and well thought out treatment
        An Introduction to Gauge Theories and Modern Particle Physics (Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology)
        Elliot Leader , and Enrico Predazzi
        Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

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        GeneralGeneral | Nuclear Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
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        1. An Introduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics An Introduction to the Standard Model of Particle Physics
        2. Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Some of Their Applications Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and Some of Their Applications
        3. Quantum Field Theory Quantum Field Theory
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        5. Dynamics of the Standard Model (Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology) Dynamics of the Standard Model (Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology)

        ASIN: 0521499518

        Book Description

        Volume 2 deals at some length with CP-violation, but is mainly devoted to QCD and its application to "hard" processes. The authors briefly cover "soft" hadronic physics, also. This work will provide a comprehensive reference and textbook for all postgraduate students and researchers interested in modern particle physics.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars A clear and well thought out treatment.......1998-09-16

        Leader and Predazzi have written an exsellent text for graduate students. They cover the wide range of topics in great clarity. Especially in the chapter about renormalization they succeed in presenting the core in detail without technical obfuscation.
        An Introduction to Particle Accelerators
        Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
        • European efforts predominating
        An Introduction to Particle Accelerators
        E. J. N. Wilson
        Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Paperback

        GeneralGeneral | Science | Subjects | Books
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        GeneralGeneral | Solid-State Physics | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
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        Similar Items:
        1. Accelerator Physics Accelerator Physics
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        3. Handbook of Accelerator Physics and Engineering Handbook of Accelerator Physics and Engineering
        4. Building Scientific Apparatus Building Scientific Apparatus

        ASIN: 0198508298

        Book Description

        There are more than ten thousand particle accelerators in the world from the linear accelerators used for cancer therapy in modern hospitals to the giant 'atom-smashers' at international particle physics laboratories used to unlock the secrets of creation. Many scientists and engineers spend their lives designing, constructing, and operating these machines - yet few universities include the subject of particle accelerators in their curricula. The few courses that do exist and the summer schools run by the big accelerator laboratories lack a simple introduction which covers the essentials of the subject for the many who need to learn how these machines work. This book fills that gap and takes the reader through each of the aspects of a modern accelerator giving enough information to unlock the door to the subject but does not overload the understanding with mathematics. Anyone with a general interest in modern technology based on a fascinating variety of physics and engineering will find much of interest in this book.

        Customer Reviews:

        4 out of 5 stars European efforts predominating.......2004-06-06

        Very specialised book. Written mostly for engineers involved in designing accelerators, and graduate students in physics who might have experiments at an accelerator.

        No abstruse theory here. A book for experimentalists. Wilson describes clearly the differences between cyclotrons and linear accelerators and synchrotrons. The advantages and disadvantages of each. With real life examples, like those at CERN (of course), and at SLAC and Fermilab.

        It does seem that the baton is passing from the US in this field. The European scientists have somehow managed to keep their funding together, which Wilson praises. He undoubtedly help bring this about. Certainly, an impression from this book is that if you are starting out in experimental particle physics, you might do best to direct your efforts at CERN.

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        6. Light-Emitting Diodes
        7. Modern Physics, Second Edition
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