Ebook: Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space

On July 4th, 2012, one of physics' most exhilarating results was announced: an entirely new kind of particle had been discovered at the Large Hadron Collider. The particlea Higgs bosonis the key to verifying and understanding the Higgs mechanism that underlies elementary particle masses. Harvard University Professor Lisa Randall, one of the world's most cited and influential theoretical physicists, and author of the bestselling Knocking on Heaven's Door and Warped Passages, deftly explains both this epochal discovery and it's startlingly beautiful implications.

Amazon.com Review

Talk about fireworks. On July 4, 2012, researchers at the Large Hadron Collider--the famed European particle accelerator and Earth's biggest and most powerful machine --announced the discovery of evidence confirming the existence of the Higgs boson. This long-theorized fundamental particle has represented the Holy Grail for physicists exploring the world of the very, very small for almost 50 years, and its discovery paves the way forward for our understanding of a range of questions about the physical universe, from why matter has (is) mass to what exactly happens in "empty" space. And who better to clarify the implications of this enormous discovery than Lisa Randall? Author of two popular books on cutting-edge physics and a celebrated theorist herself, Randall passionately guides those of us without the scientific background through the meaning, the implications, and the ensuing global enthusiasm. For those who have followed the elusive search for the Higgs, Randall's near-breathless gusto will only confirm our own. Newcomers may find the scientific vocabulary daunting, but set against the enormity of thought and effort put into this research by some of the world's smartest people, the challenge nevertheless rewards curious readers who wonder about the hype powering the headlines. --Jason Kirk

From AudioFile