Book Description
A primer on the evolution of particle physics and the search for the fundamental building blocks of matter. The book presents the full current body of understanding of particle physics in way accessible to a reader with some basic principles of physics (energy, momentum, electrical charge). This concise book tells the fascinating story of how 20th century physicists revealed layer upon layer of structure within the atom to reach the basic particles of matter, and then culminates in descriptions of current theories which form the Standard Model and the discovery of the top quark. Includes chapters on cosmology. The book includes many illustrations and photographs, and integrates the stories of the individual scientists throughout. Includes 4 color photographs, and the famous "Particle Chart". The book is a collaboration among eminent physicists (including J.D. Jackson and G. Goldhaber) at LBL, CERN and high school teachers in the Contemporary Physics Education Project to develop a novel book to teach particle physics to students.Book can thus be used as a supplement for courses in advanced high school and physics courses. FROM THE REVIEWS: ¿¿Recommended as a supplementary text for introductory college courses or for advanced high-school courses; science teachers will find it useful for updating their knowledge in an ever-expanding field of physics research.¿ ¿PHYSICS TODAY
Customer Reviews:
Simple. Very simple........2005-02-20
Simple is both good and bad here. I've had a lingering interest in partticle phyics for years and bought this book when the university bookstore was clearing shelves. It is not the first book I've read on this stuff, but perhaps the most comprehensive attempt to cover a large subject. My frustrations came from knowing, on very few occasions, more than the book would tell. Too often fascinating subject matter is shown to you just long enough to pique your curiosity before they switch gears. Thus you are frequently left with an incomplete picture of processes that are, in ways, less complicated that they seem from the text with its lack of clarifying details. With some more thorough explanations this book could be fantastic.
For an overview and a primer this book stil beats the subatmoic snot out of all the other books I've read, and would be the only one I'd recommend to a novice "layperson."
Be careful about where you read this book, though. On a few occasions I was approached by a young lady at a local coffee shop to "what are you reading?" Yeah, particle physics textbooks don't always impress people in the most favorable ways. I still love it though.
Buy this book and learn something new and massively intriguing.
A great introduction to concepts of particle physics.......2003-01-28
I found this book easy to read and fun. Ive gone back to it several times and still enjoy it each time I open the pages.
With only a highschool backround but an interest in science, I would recommend this book for those who are curious about the world around us but dont have the time or the math skills to grind through a deeper introduction.
Information a wannabe physicist can use.......2001-08-08
I wanted a book that would provide me a readable introduction to the world of particle physics. My days at university are a distant memory and I didn't want to wade through reams of notes or a modern text book just so I could satisfy my mild interest in knowing a little more about the subject. The Charm of Strange Quarks was just what I needed. Not only did it provide me with the theory, but also stimulated my interest by giving some historical background. The theory is presented in a simple structured manner, but is also sufficiently challenging to keep me humble in any desire I may have to become an instant particle physicist.
My only two minor irritations: Firstly I did not find the sequence of presenting the theory and the use of Appendices helpful. It made me feel that I was being shown one thing then before I got really familiar with it I would be whisked off to be shown something else and expected to put it all together myself. Secondly I would have liked a couple of new side bar type boxes to be included headed "... and in plain English!" and "This is what it means to you". The side bars and boxes that are included are very interesting and helpful.
I have no idea what a true particle physicist would think of the book, but for me it is exactly what I was looking for and will remain on my bookshelf for further exploration when I feel like taking my brain out for some exercise.
Book Description
This self-contained text describes breakthroughs in our understanding of the structure and interactions of elementary particles. It provides students of theoretical or experimental physics with the background material to grasp the significance of these developments.
Customer Reviews:
Would have been great if only..........2002-01-27
This is a very good treatment of particle physics. Unfortunately, its one of those textbooks where exercises are dispersed throughout the text and which form an integral part of the pedagogy. In other words, the reader must work through the problems as they appear in the book as subsequent material is based upon it; not to do the exercies will result in an incomplete and fragmented exposure to the material. Some might like that approach but I personally find it irritating and slows down the reading. As I mentioned its a very well written expose of particle physics but it could have been great if its format had been more traditional.
Best book for preparing for a test in particle physics.......2002-01-01
I love this book, mostly because this book told me very well about how to do every kind of particle physics problems.
Before you read it, you needn't have much background in Quantum Field Theory (while it should be quite good to read this book before studying QFT), and you can get almost all ideas of High Energy Physics in an aspect of phenomenology.
If you wanna prepare for a professional particle physics test (such as a PhD Qualification test), for sure this book is the best one to read --- you can pass any kind of these tests if you concentrate more than 2 days on this book.
And even you are not worrying about any test, this book is very good for a beginner to know particle physics quantitatively.
Do yourself a favour!.......2000-07-12
If you are a grad student in high energy/nuclear/heavy ion physics, experimental or theoretical, do yourself a favour and buy this book. It starts really from the begining (scalar fields, spinors, dirac equation, propagators) and slowly but steadily reaches the point of gauge field theory, QCD, partons, electroweak interactions , spontaneous symmetry breaking and the Weinberg-Salam model. Dont expect to find anything rigorous about renormalization. Chapter 7 has some calculations about running coupling constants etc. but most of it is intuitive (describing rather than proving) in order to give you a glimpse about these matters and serve as a tool for later chapters. Although I knew the basics of Quantum Field Theory before I read this book, it helped me understand topics like deep inelastic scattering, parton distribution functions, scaling, weak interactions,spontaneous symmetry breaking. Caution: It is not a Quantum Field Theory book, it is a particle physics book. If you are looking for gribov anomalies,ward-takahashi identities, and renormalization of the weinberg-salam model and stuff like that then this is not the place to find it. The book is about particles and their interactions. Its purpose is to prepare the serious student for more rigorous Quantum Field Theory books and give him/her the big picture of the standard model (the forest) rather than the little details of field theory (the tree). I strongly recommend it to any student in the field. The language is clear and the concepts are easy to follow. Its a down to earth approach trying to explain things in a clear cut manner rather than confusing the student with "big words" and terminology. A nice suplement to this book is the book by Chris Quigg (...huge number of references). In short, this book is worth its money ! Buy it !
excellent.......2000-05-20
Excellent introduction to Particle Physics. Q and L should be accessible to anyone with one semester of a standard quantum mechanics course.
As for graduate students, I'd offer that Q and L is as good a book to fall back on in a graduate particle physics course as is Griffith's book is in a Jackson Electrodynamics course.
Book Description
Get ready to take another fantastic journey with physicist and author Robert Gilmore, this time with Dorothy, following the yellow building block road through the land of the Wizard of Quarks. Using characters and situations based on the universally known story, The Wizard of Oz, we learn along the way about the fascinating world of particle physics. Classes of particles, from quarks to leptons are shown in atomic garden, where atoms and molecules are produced; see how Dorothy, The Tin Geek, and the Cowardly Lion experience the bizarre world of subatomic particles. Thousands of readers who were delighted by the adventures and science content of Alice in Quantumland are in for another treat, with the prose and illustrations of Robert Gilmore.
Customer Reviews:
At Last!.......2001-01-21
At last the author of "Alice in Quantumland" has written another parody, mixing a well-known tale with modern quantum physics. My son enjoyed "Alice in Quantumland" when he was eight, and he will enjoy "The Wizard of Quarks" (based - loosely - on "The Wizard of Oz") now as a teenager. The books are quite charming and witty for adults, as well.
Book Description
"Close is a lucid, reliable, and enthusiastic guide to the strange and wonderful microcosmic world that dwells deep within reality" - Frank Wilczek (Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics, MIT, and 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics Not since Newton's apple has there been a physics phenomenon as deliciously appealing to the masses as Frank Close's Cosmic Onion. Widely embraced by scientists and laypersons alike, the book quickly became an international bestseller. Translated into seven languages, it propelled the author to become a worldwide celebrity as well as an inspiration to a generation of scientists. The book's title itself has entered popular usage as a metaphor for the layers that can be peeled away to understand the foundations of the physical world, from dimensions and galaxies, to atoms and quarks. NEW Material · Explains the principles behind the Hadron Collider as well as the potential it presents · Considers the recent development of the Electroweak Theory as a law of nature · Explores the mysteries uncovered and the ones that may be in store with regard to top and bottom quarks Keeping still-pertinent contents from the original volume that caught the world's attention in 1983, this fresh edition of the Cosmic Onion includes extensive new material to reflect new views of the universe. Providing explanations that explore the foundations of 21st Century science and future directions, this work offers ready access and unique perspectives to more typical topics such as the forces of nature, atoms, the nucleus, and nuclear particles. It also travels down paths that only a true pioneer and educator can venture, such as a discussion of what Professor Close refers to as the Eightfold Way including the findings, surprises, and new questions emerging from the latest work with accelerators.
Book Description
This is perhaps the most up-to-date book on Modern Elementary Particle Physics. The main content is an introduction to Yang-Mills fields, and the Standard Model of Particle Physics. A concise introduction to quarks is provided, with a discussion of the representations of SU(3).
The Standard Model is presented in detail, including such topics as the Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix, chiral symmetry breaking, and the q-vacuum. Theoretical topics of a more general nature include path integrals, topological solitons, renormalization group, effective potentials, the axial anomaly, and lattice gauge theory.
This second edition, which has been expanded, incorporates the following new subjects: Wilson's renormalization scheme, and its relation to perturbative renormalization; pitfalls in quantizing gauge fields, such as the Gribov ambiguity; the lattice as a consistent regularization; Monte Carlo methods of solution; and the issues, folklores, and scenarios of quark confinement. More than a quarter of the book comprise of new materials.
This book may be used as a text for a one-semester course on advanced quantum field theory, or reference book for particle physicists.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......1998-04-23
This is by far one of the best introductory texts on this rapidly changing field. I especially enjoyed the lucid treatment of topological objects in quantum field theory. One of the most appealing qualities of the book was the author's concise, to-the-point style. Very recommendable.
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Heavy Quark Effective Theory (Springer Tracts in Modern Physics)
Andrey Grozin
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 3540206922 |
Book Description
This up-to-date review also serves as an introduction to Heavy Quark Effective Theory (HQET) - a new approach to heavy quark physics problems in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD). Heavy quark physics is one of the most active areas of high-energy physics, especially at this time when B-factories at SLAC and KEK are producing high-quality results, and yet other facilities are being developed. HQET has already led to significant progress in our understanding of heavy quark physics during the last 10 years. The book also contains a detailed discussion of the methods of calculation used in HQET, along with numerous illustrations.
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Heavy Flavour Physics Theory and Experimental Results in Heavy Quark Physics (Scottish Universities Summer School in Physics)
Manufacturer: Taylor & Francis
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ASIN: 0750308672 |
Book Description
B-factories at SLAC and KEK started producing high quality results in 2001, while preparations for B physics at the LHC continue. Heavy Flavour Physics: Theory and Experimental Results in Heavy Quark Physics provides an introduction to and overview of recent developments in theory and experiments relevant to the physics of heavy flavors, particularly that of the b quark. The book reviews the field thoroughly from both experimental and theoretical perspectives. It includes important background material on the standard model, CP violation, lattice quantum chromodynamics, and Kaon decay experiments. Chapters are written by international experts and the whole book has been carefully edited to provide a coherent account of the field. The level is suitable for junior postdoctoral researchers and postgraduate students in particle physics.
Book Description
This text introduces the theoretical framework for describing the quark-gluon plasma, an important new state of matter. The first part of the book is a self-contained introduction to relativistic thermal field theory. Topics include the path integral approach, the real and imaginary time formalisms, fermion fields and gauge fields at finite temperature. The author illustrates useful techniques such as the evaluation of frequency sums and the use of cutting rules. The second part of the book is devoted to recent developments, and gives a detailed account of collective excitations (bosonic and fermionic), showing how they give rise to energy scales that imply a reorganization of perturbation theory. The author also explains the relation with kinetic theory. He works out in detail applications to processes that occur in heavy ion collisions and in astrophysics. Each chapter ends with exercises and a guide to the literature. Graduate students and researchers in nuclear, particle, and astrophysics will benefit from this book.
Book Description
Quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the theory explaining the strong nuclear force that binds together the components of the atomic nucleus, is one of the four fundamental forces of nature that control the universe in which we live. This absorbing book covers the ideas and stories behind QCD, the successes and the puzzles, the unsolved mysteries and the characters involved. The subject is discussed in an accessible and entertaining way, assuming only the minimum physics and mathematics background knowledge. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in science and a solid introduction for students embarking on particle physics courses.
Customer Reviews:
A close look at quantum chromodynamics .......2005-02-09
The Quantum Quark is a close look at quantum chromodynamics that does not require an extensive mathematics or physics background of the reader. Freelance science journalist and regular contributor to "Science" magazine Andrew Watson explores such topics as the quantum world, "the gregarious gluon", quarks and hadrons, the true significance of the vacuum state, and much more. A handful of black-and-white diagrams and photographs illustrate this fascinating tour of scientific theory, recommended for anyone with even the most casual interest in understanding the fundamental particles composing the Universe.
QED to QCD for the serious & intent lay-reader.......2004-12-15
The Quantum Quark by Andrew Watson
In the preface, Watson explains his book "...focuses on quantum chromodynamics, the essentials of how it works and how it came into being." He goes on to say "At the modest cost of a complete story...The Quantum Quark explores QCD in more detail than all other books on particle physics intended for a wider readership." And finally assures the reader, "...this is a pleasant stroll through great ideas, and not a textbook." I agree on all accounts.
Let me qualify to whom I think this book will attract.
Some of us are deeply curious, intelligent & interested folks - actively seeking answers and doggedly pursuing the richness of fundamental physics at a readership that spans a range well past the "golly-gee!" pop-physics level (e.g. Hawking/Green) but striving, reaching, stretching on tip-toes below the University academic level with its rigorous mathematical quantification proofs and rules. While it is meant for a serious lay-reader and undeniably non-mathematical in its presentation, this is definitely not light reading. People who aren't afraid of becoming a little lost while navigating the figurative `forest through the trees' can have courage this book will guide them if they're patient and willing to be led. To be sure, the dedicated reader will aquire a nodding acquaintance with concepts of conservation laws, symmetries, gauge theory, and U(1) X SU(2) & SU(3) group theories (which ultimately account for and lie at the root of the most fundamental physical laws) and last, but not least, a good conceptual grip of QCD. A willingness to do some re-reading will bode you well. The trip can be somewhat heavy going with its deep, abstract and technical description of a fundamentally mathematical subject - but it is well worth the wear & tear on the intellectual soles of your mind. Ultimately, this is an account of humanity's pinnacle intellectual achievement.
OK, so what have we got here?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Introduction 1
2 Symmetry 9
3 The quantum world 19
4 Toward QCD 110
5 The one number of QCD 269
6 The gregarious gluon 288
7 Quarks and hadrons 305
8 Quarks under the microscope 328
9 Much ado about nothing 370
10 Checkerboard QCD 391
Appendix 1 A QCD chronology 413
Appendix 2 Greek alphabet & SI prefixes 426
The introduction does its job setting the scope of subjects: Quantum Electrodynamics (QED), the Electro-Weak force, and last, but principally, Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) a.k.a. the theory of the Strong Force. It brushes on experiments in high-energy physics that bring the constituents of the Standard Model to light.
After the introduction, we're treated to a little history of the mathematicians and physicists who brought us Group Theory and a sketch of the properties of groups (i.e. identity element, closure, associativity & the inverse element). Descriptions and brief examples are given for O(2) orthogonal and SO(2) special orthogonal (abelian) transformations plus mention of associated dimensional 2x2 matrices; non-abelian SO(3) groups are discussed and the U(1)XSU(2) and SU(3) groups are revealed to be the fundamental abstract spaces of particle physics in a nutshell. Lie groups are briefly mentioned as well.
The next major section, "The Quantum World", is my favorite material in this book. It starts with the fact that the measured magnetic moment anomaly of QED demonstrates its superior standing as the crown achievement of theoretical & experimental physics. Basic quantum mechanics topics are effectively covered:
Energy quanta (Planck's constant h), wave phase & interference, Uncertainty Principle, Schrodinger, the principle of least action and Feynman's sum over paths.
The elements quickly evolve in relative complexity and abstraction - ultimately leading towards a clearly developed connection between QED to QCD. The progression takes us through:
mass-energy relations in Relativity, matter-antimatter pair production, Fermion and Boson spin & statistics and Pauli's Exclusion principle, quantum fields, the four-momentum, virtual particles, vacuum polarization, Green's functions, Feynman diagrams, vertex interactions, self-energy, infinite divergences, perturbation and renormalization program (dimensional regularization), effective low-energy field theory, Fermi's theory of weak interactions to Weinberg/Glashow/Salam and Veltman/t'Hooft Nobel prize winning contributions in the electroweak realm, and finally the all important gauge principle including the example of changes in potentials and changes in global vs. local phase.
I'm now going to do the author a grave disservice by reviewing the remainder of the book in an all too brief summarization. The majority of the book plumbs the depths of QCD. Andrew brings us by the experimental facilities for a thorough inspection of the accelerators & detectors (BNL RHIC, Fermilab CDF, CERN-LEP, DESY, KEK-BELLE & SLAC). He gives complete coverage of the physicists responsible for its development and associated milestones. To name just a few of the many discussed in great detail: Yukawa - Isospin, mesons; Yang-Mills - CP violation, Gell-Man - the Eightfold Way; `the particle zoo', families, Quark-Gluon, flavordynamics, inelastic scattering, color charges; Nambu - spontaneous symmetry breaking; the Higgs mechanism & weak neutral currents; Gross, Wilczek & Politzer - Asymptotic Freedom.
Watson judiciously included countless diagrams to illustrate important concepts and fundamental interactions plus many photographic pictures of physicists, experimental devices and facilities. The back of the book includes a good glossary and a nice annotated "Further reading" section that breaks suggested titles in easy reading, not-so-easy reading, and `hard core' sections.
That's it. Altogether a serious undertaking - I hope you are challenged by it and thoroughly enjoy it as much as I have!
p.s. I recommend these complementary books: "Deep Down Things" by Schumm; "The Force of Symmetry" by Icke; "Fearful Symmetry" by Zee; "Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe" by Lederman; and "Out of This World" by Webb. N.B. check out the reviews on these books, also browse the "So You'd Like To..." and "Listmania!" lists below to help decide which ones you might want to consider.
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Hadrons and Quark Gluon Plasma
Jean Letessier , and
Johann Rafelski
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
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Quark-Gluon Plasma (Cambridge Monographs on Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics and Cosmology)
ASIN: 0521385369 |
Book Description
Before matter as we know it emerged, the universe was filled with the primordial state of hadronic matter called quark gluon plasma. This hot soup of quarks and gluon is effectively an inescapable consequence of our current knowledge about the fundamental hadronic interactions, quantum chromodynamics. This book covers the ongoing search to verify this prediction experimentally and discusses the physical properties of this novel form of matter.
Download Description
Before matter as we know it emerged, the universe was filled with the primordial state of hadronic matter called quark-gluon plasma. This hot soup of quarks and gluons is effectively an inescapable consequence of our current knowledge about the fundamental hadronic interactions: quantum chromodynamics. This book covers the ongoing search to verify the prediction experimentally and discusses the physical properties of this novel form of matter. It begins with an overview of the subject, followed by discussion of experimental methods and results. The second half of the book covers hadronic matter in confined and deconfined form, and strangeness as a signature of the quark-gluon phase. Covering the basics as well as more advanced material, it is ideal as an introduction for graduate students, as well as providing a valuable reference for researchers already working in this and related fields.
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