History of CERN, III

J. Krige (Edited by)

9780444896551, Elsevier Science

Hardback, published 18 December 1996

664 pages
26 x 18.3 x 3.6 cm, 1.47 kg

The present volume covers the story of the history of CERN from the mid 1960s to the late 1970s.

The book is organized in three main parts. The first, containing contributions by historians of science, perceives the laboratory as being at the node of a complex of interconnected relationships between scientists and science managers on the staff, the users in the member states, and the governments which were called upon to finance the organization. Parts II and III include chapters by practising scientists. The former surveys the theoretical and experimental physics results obtained at CERN in this period, while the latter describes the development of the laboratory's accelerator complex and Charpak detection techniques.

Part I. Interactions. CERN from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s (J. Krige). Gargamelle and BEBC. How Europe's last two giant bubble chambers were chosen (D. Pestre). The difficult decision, taken in the 1960s, to construct a 3-400 GeV proton synchrotron in Europe (D. Pestre). The intersecting storage rings. The construction and operation of CERN's second large machine and a survey of its experimental programme (A. Russo). The relationship between CERN and its 'visitors'in the 1970s (J. Krige). The ppbar project. I. The collider (J. Krige). The ppbar project. II. The organization of experimental work (J. Krige). Part II. Physics Results. Physics in the CERN theory division (J. Iliopoulos). The SC: Isolde and nuclear structure (G. Hansen). Experimental studies of weak interactions (K. Winter). Part III. Technologies. The development of accelerator art and expertise at CERN: 1960-1980. Twenty fruitful years (M. Crowley-Milling). The development of electronic position detectors at CERN (1964 - late 1970s) (I. Gambaro). Name index. Subject index.

Subject Areas: Quantum physics [quantum mechanics & quantum field theory PHQ], Nuclear physics [PHN], Atomic & molecular physics [PHM], Philosophy of science [PDA]