Items related to Most Wanted Particle: The Inside Story of the Hunt...

Most Wanted Particle: The Inside Story of the Hunt for the Higgs, the Heart of the Future of Physics - Hardcover

  • 3.95 out of 5 stars
    587 ratings by Goodreads
 
9781615192458: Most Wanted Particle: The Inside Story of the Hunt for the Higgs, the Heart of the Future of Physics

Synopsis

“A vivid account of what the process of discovery was really like for an insider.”—Peter Higgs

“Butterworth is an insider’s insider. His narrative seethes with insights on the project’s science, technology and ‘tribes,’ as well as his personal (and often amusing) journey as a frontier physicist.”—Nature

The discovery of the Higgs boson has brought us a giant step closer to understanding how our universe works. But before the Higgs was found, its existence was hotly debated. Even Peter Higgs, who first pictured it, did not expect to see proof within his lifetime. The quest to find the Higgs would ultimately require perhaps the most ambitious experiment in human history.

Jon Butterworth was there—a leading physicist on the ATLAS project at the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland. In Most Wanted Particle, he gives us the first insider account of the hunt for the Higgs, and of life at the collider itself—the world’s largest and most powerful particle accelerator, 17 miles long, 20 stories underground, and designed to “replay” the original Big Bang by smashing subatomic particles at nearly the speed of light.

Writing with clarity and humor, Butterworth revels as much in the hard science—which he carefully reconstructs for readers of all levels—as in the messiness, uncertainty, and humanness of science—from the media scrutiny and late-night pub debates, to the false starts and intense pressure to generate results. He captures a moment when an entire field hinged on the proof or disproof of a 50-year-old theory—and even science’s top minds didn’t know what to expect. Finally, he explains why physics will never be the same after our first glimpse of the elusive Higgs—and where it will go from here.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

About the Author

Jon Butterworth is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at University College London and a member of the ATLAS collaboration at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider in Geneva, Switzerland. He writes the Life and Physics blog for the Guardian, has written articles for a range of publications including the BBC and New Scientist, and is also the author of Most Wanted Particle, shortlisted for Book of the Year by Physics World. He was awarded the Chadwick Medal of the Institute of Physics in 2013 for his pioneering experimental and phenomenological work in high-energy particle physics. For the last fifteen years, he has divided his time between London and Geneva.

Review

“Butterworth is an insider’s insider. His narrative seethes with insights on the project’s science, technology and ‘tribes,’ as well as his personal (and often amusing) journey as a frontier physicist.”—Nature

“Butterworth ranges far beyond billiards to find ordinary-world comparisons that clarify abstruse scientific concepts. . . . Still, despite all of his colorful simplifying metaphors, Butterworth challenges his readers with real high-level science, taking them deep enough into the Standard Model of theoretical subatomic physics to explain why researchers around the globe monitor the reports from Europe’s Large Hadron Collider with anxious expectation—their most fundamental assumptions about the universe hanging in the balance.”—Booklist, starred review

“The author’s real achievement is in making experimental topics such as jet algorithms, cross-sections, calorimeters, and standard deviation interesting and even exciting. [Butterworth] also does an excellent job of portraying the culture of particle physics and the life of a researcher in the field. . . . Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and above.”—Choice

“Most of the existing popular accounts of the events leading up to the July 2012 discovery claim at CERN are written from a theoretical perspective by outsiders. Jon Butterworth is an experimentalist and is the first to give a vivid account of what the process of discovery was really like for an insider.”
Peter Higgs, Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics

“The story of the search for the Higgs boson is so edge-of-your-seat exciting that it practically tells itself—but still, why not get the story from someone who was there for every step along the way? Jon Butterworth is a talented writer and a world expert in the physics, and his book is hard to put down.”
Sean Carroll, physicist at Caltech and author of The Particle at the End of the Universe

“If you want to know why the discovery of the Higgs boson matters, read this book!”
Brian Cox, author of Why Does E=mc2?

“A fascinating inside perspective of the discovery of the Higgs boson . . . combined with intimate details about the life of a high-powered physicist and some lovely explanations of the physics.”—New Scientist

“The politics, excitement, and sheer intellectual adventure of discovery . . . from someone who was actually there!”
Jim Al-Khalili, author of Quantum

“A smashing journey.”—Physics World

“If you met Jon Butterworth in a pub—which, judging from the many anecdotes in Most Wanted Particle, is a non-trivial probability—his is the voice you’d like to hear, this is the tale you’d want him to tell: a breezy recounting of the discovery of the Higgs boson that turns out to be both an accessible primer on particle physics and a lively look at behind-the-scenes Big Science.”
Richard Panek, author of The 4% Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Race to Discover the Rest of Reality

“Like The Lord of the Rings, Most Wanted Particle takes readers on a long path with many moments of peril and uncertainty to reach the triumphant discovery of the Higgs Boson. It is a great chronicle of a part of the endless chain of progress in science at the LHC.”
Jim Gates, University System of Maryland Regents Professor of Physics

“An excellent, accessible guide to one of science’s greatest discoveries . . . vivid insights into the doing of science, including the customs of various scientific tribes at CERN.”—Sunday Times

An Observer Top Ten Science and Technology book

“Unlocks the holy grail of combining entertainment and understanding.” —PFILM

“Riveting! Gonzo journalism but in the entrails of experimental particle physics.”
Pedro G. Ferreira, author of The Perfect Theory

“[A] charming, enlightening bulletin from one of the most exciting fields of human endeavor.” —Guardian

“If you’re remotely curious about the universe, read this.”
Steven Thompson of PhysicsSteve.co.uk, a theoretical physics blog

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherThe Experiment
  • Publication date2015
  • ISBN 10 161519245X
  • ISBN 13 9781615192458
  • BindingHardcover
  • Number of pages304
  • Rating
    • 3.95 out of 5 stars
      587 ratings by Goodreads

Buy Used

Condition: Good
Former library book; Pages can... Learn more about this copy

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to basket

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9781615193011: Most Wanted Particle: The Inside Story of the Hunt for the Higgs, the Heart of the Future of Physics

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  1615193014 ISBN 13:  9781615193011
Publisher: The Experiment, 2016
Softcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon
Published by Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Reno, Reno, NV, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.01. Seller Inventory # G161519245XI3N10

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.81
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon
Published by Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.01. Seller Inventory # G161519245XI4N10

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.84
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon
Published by Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.01. Seller Inventory # G161519245XI4N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.84
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon
Published by Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Former library book; May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.01. Seller Inventory # G161519245XI4N10

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.84
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon
Published by Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: As New. No Jacket. Pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.01. Seller Inventory # G161519245XI2N00

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.84
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon
Published by Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.01. Seller Inventory # G161519245XI3N10

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.84
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon
Published by The Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00064669076

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.94
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon; Randall, Lisa
Published by Experiment LLC, The, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Very Good. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 6111067-6

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.94
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon; Randall, Lisa
Published by Experiment LLC, The, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 5401068-6

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 6.94
Convert currency
Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 2 available

Add to basket

Stock Image

Butterworth, Jon,Randall, Lisa
Published by The Experiment, 2015
ISBN 10: 161519245X ISBN 13: 9781615192458
Used Hardcover

Seller: HPB-Ruby, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.

Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars 5-star rating, Learn more about seller ratings

hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_402605851

Contact seller

Buy Used

US$ 4.00
Convert currency
Shipping: US$ 3.75
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

Quantity: 1 available

Add to basket

There are 14 more copies of this book

View all search results for this book