The Particle Hunters

A second edition of one of our best popular physics titles.

Yuval Ne'eman (Author), Yoram Kirsh (Author)

9780521476867, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 4 April 1996

316 pages, 104 b/w illus. 23 tables
24.7 x 17.5 x 1.7 cm, 0.654 kg

'The clarity of presentation will appeal to a wide readership.' Aslib Book Guide

The first edition of this popular book on particle physics received universal acclaim for its clear and readable style. In this second edition the authors have brought the subject right up to date, including the discovery of the 'top quark' and the search for the Higgs particle. The book is the result of a collaboration between a world-famous elementary particle physicist and a physicist specialising in popular science writing. Together they have produced a fascinating account of the search for the fundamental building blocks of matter. This lucid and entertaining accountwill fascinate anyone wishing to keep pace with this part of the progress of human knowledge, from scientifically educated general readers through to professional physicists.

Preface to the first edition
Preface to the second edition
1. The building blocks of the atom
2. Physical laws for small particles
3. The discoveries of the 1930s and 1940s
4. Particle accelerators - or from hunters to farmers
5. Strange particles
6. Basic forces and the classification of particles
7. Conservation laws
8. Short-lived particles
9. To the quarks - via the eightfold way
10. More quarks - or charm, truth and beauty
11. The standard model and beyond
Appendix 1. Properties of semi-stable particles
Appendix 2. The Greek alphabet
Name index
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Nuclear physics [PHN]