Fascinating reading for those who are interested in quantum physics, but, alas, do not really understand it (yet).
The path to scientific discovery is like an adventure. And Ian Semple, one of the most respected science journalists in the United States, had an adventure in the thriller genre. The target of his hunt is the Higgs boson, a particle that answers the most secret question of the universe: how the weightless cosmic dust that arose as a result of the Big Bang gained mass and took shape in the bricks from which atoms, molecules, stars, planets and galaxies lined up. This book is also breathtaking because we already know something that neither the author nor Peter Higgs, the English physicist who theoretically substantiated the existence of his “divine” particle in 1964, knew at the time of the book’s publication last year: this boson still exists! Semple’s book is an excellent read for those who are curious about the discoveries of quantum physics, but who, alas, cannot distinguish quarks from leptons. Everything is presented clearly, but not primitively, and is accompanied by wonderful historical details. Scientists came to persuade Ronald Reagan to agree to the construction of a super-expensive supercollider. “That will only make a few physicists happy,” the head of the budget office told the president. “I have to make them happy in order to atone for my physics teacher at school, whom I made deeply unhappy,” Reagan replied.
Translation from English. Tatyana Lisovskaya.
Kolibri, 416 p.