Leon M. Lederman

Quantum theory is the bedrock of contemporary physics and the basis of understanding matter in its tiniest dimensions and the vast universe as a whole. But for many, the theory remains an impenetrable enigma. The authors of this book seek to remedy this situation by drawing on both their scientific expertise and their talent for communicating science to the general reader. Their story is partly historical, covering the many "Eureka" moments when great scientists -- Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Erwin Schrodinger, and others -- struggled to come to grips with the many bizarre realities that quantum research revealed. Although their findings were indisputably proven in experiments, they were so strange and counterintuitive that Einstein refused to accept quantum theory, despite its great success. The authors explain the many strange and even eerie aspects of quantum reality at the subatomic level, from "particles" that can be many places simultaneously and sometimes act more like waves, to the effect that we humans can have on their movements by just observing them. The authors also delve into quantum physics' latest and perhaps most breathtaking offshoots -- field theory and string theory. The intricacies and ramifications of these two theories will give the reader much to ponder. In addition, the authors describe the diverse applications of quantum theory in its almost countless forms of modern technology throughout the world.

Explains the concept of symmetry and its ramifications for art, music, and life on Earth, describing how symmetry is found everywhere in the universe.

"Two leading physicists discuss the importance of the Higgs Boson, the future of particle physics, and the mysteries of the universe yet to be unraveled. On July 4, 2012, the long-sought Higgs Boson--aka "the God Particle"--was discovered at the world's largest particle accelerator, the LHC, in Geneva, Switzerland. On March 14, 2013, physicists at CERN confirmed it. This elusive subatomic particle forms a field that permeates the entire universe, creating the masses of the elementary particles that are the basic building blocks of everything in the known world--from viruses to elephants, from atoms to quasars. Starting where Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman's bestseller The God Particle left off, this incisive new book explains what's next. Lederman and Hill discuss key questions that will occupy physicists for years to come: Why were scientists convinced that something like the "God Particle" had to exist? What new particles, forces, and laws of physics lie beyond the "God Particle"? * What powerful new accelerators are now needed for the US to recapture a leadership role in science and to reach "beyond the God Particle," such as Fermilab's planned Project-X and the Muon Collider? Using thoughtful, witty, everyday language, the authors show how all of these intriguing questions are leading scientists ever deeper into the fabric of nature. Readers of The God Particle will not want to miss this important sequel"--

The quest began in 430 B.C. when a Greek philosopher smelled bread baking and imagined that an invisible particle might be the building block of all matter. He called it the a-tom - "that which cannot be cut"--And its pursuit has become science's longest-running experiment. Now, in a book of dazzling originality, Nobel laureate Leon Lederman tells the story of the 2,500-year search for the answer to an ancient question: what is the world made of? Lederman joined this search in the 1950s, and his many contributions to our understanding of subatomic architecture have ranked him among the foremost experimental physicists in the world. The God Particle is yet another remarkable achievement: drawing on a lifetime of research and teaching, Lederman shines such a clear light on the mysteries of matter that they are at last understandable to everyone.^ With great wit and erudition, he describes the long string of Eureka moments that have brought us tantalizingly close to unlocking the last secrets of the universe. Galileo, Newton, Faraday, Rutherford, and Einstein are just a few of the heroes in Lederman's tale, each one a brilliant detective looking for clues behind the veil of matter. The past fifty years have brought the development of the most complex experimental tool ever built - the particle accelerator, an immensely powerful knife that cuts matter into quarks and leptons and reveals the forces that drive them. Lederman explains how accelerators work and argues passionately for the need for a huge new machine that can find the ultimate a-tom. He believes that this particle - the God Particle - orchestrates the cosmic symphony, and he dreams of its discovery, hoping it will reduce the laws of physics to an equation so simple that it can fit on a T-shirt.^ Using humor, metaphor, and vivid storytelling, Leon Lederman takes us on an adventure into an invisible world. The God Particle is a celebration of human curiosity, a thrilling book by a man whose genius for discovering the secrets of the universe is matched by his gift for illuminating the wonders of science.