The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter (Science Essentials) - Hardcover

Quinn, Helen R.; Nir, Yossi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0691133093 ISBN 13: 9780691133096

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2008

Synopsis

In the first fractions of a second after the Big Bang lingers a question at the heart of our very existence: why does the universe contain matter but almost no antimatter? The laws of physics tell us that equal amounts of matter and antimatter were produced in the early universe―but then something odd happened. Matter won out over antimatter; had it not, the universe today would be dark and barren.

But how and when did this occur? In The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter, Helen Quinn and Yossi Nir guide readers into the very heart of this mystery―and along the way offer an exhilarating grand tour of cutting-edge physics.

About this title

From the Back Cover

"I just had the great pleasure of reading Quinn and Nir's new book, The Mystery of the Missing Antimatter. The book reads like an exciting real-life mystery--and even the appendix offers a fascinating bit of scientific history. It tells a very compelling story in a very accessible manner, and I predict it will get the large and thoughtful readership it deserves."--Harold T. Shapiro, president emeritus and professor of economics and public affairs at Princeton University

"This is a most remarkable book from many points of view. Using the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the universe as a central theme, it tracks the reasoning behind the essential ideas comprising the standard model of particle physics, its shortcomings, and its impact on our knowledge of the cosmos. And it does all this without a single equation, not even a Greek letter. This asymmetry accounts for our very existence, and Quinn and Nir have been in the thick of the theoretical developments. This is indeed heady stuff."--Val L. Fitch, Princeton University

"Quinn and Nir bring to light one of the deepest mysteries of science and make a compelling case that its resolution will profoundly impact our understanding of the laws that govern the universe."--Paul Steinhardt, Princeton University

"Addressing the scientific version of the question of why there is something rather than nothing, Quinn and Nir take the reader on a fascinating journey through the story of particle physics and cosmology."--David Gross, director of the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics

"The aim of this book is to use one of the most fundamental questions facing physicists today--why the observable universe contains a quantifiable asymmetry between the amount of matter and antimatter--to take readers on a tour of a host of important concepts in modern particle physics and cosmology. Helen Quinn and Yossi Nir have impeccable particle-physics credentials, and their book is a timely and informative contribution."--Mark Trodden, Syracuse University

"This book deals with one of the most fundamental mysteries of nature. Perhaps it is fitting that the authors have taken a very ambitious approach to writing about it: they cover just about every aspect of modern particle physics. This book will appeal to a serious reader whose curiosity will be rewarded by a wealth of ideas and history related to the subject of matter-antimatter asymmetry."--Alexander Kusenko, University of California, Los Angeles

About the Author

Helen R. Quinn is professor emerita of particle physics and astrophysics at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center at Stanford University. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, she is the coauthor of The Charm of Strange Quarks: Mysteries and Revolutions of Particle Physics. Yossi Nir is professor of physics at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0691133093
• ISBN 13: 9780691133096
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 296