Product Description

In 1928 the physicist Paul Dirac predicted the existence of antimatter in a mirror world, where the electrical charges on particles would be opposite to those of ordinary matter. This mirror world is found, fleetingly, at the quantum level, with positrons the counterpart of electrons, and antiprotons the opposite of protons. This book introduces the world of antimatter without using technical language or equations. The author shows how the quest for symmetry in physics slowly revealed the properties of antimatter. When large particle accelerators came on line, the antimatter debris of collisions provided new clues on its properties. This is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1540829 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 221 pages

Review
‘I read Gordon Fraser’s new book, Antimatter: the Ultimate Mirror, with awe and envy … [he] has done an excellent job in making the arcane accessible, in a style that suggests adventure novel rather than dry scientific text. If more scientists could write like this, I dare say more would be understandable.’ David Myton, Education Review

‘Antimatter is the fuel of science fiction, propelling, for example, Star Trek’s U.S.S. Enterprise, but its study is also a burgeoning branch of modern science. Fraser, a physicist at the CERN European Laboratory for Particle Physics in Geneva, here offers a thoughtful, no-nonsense account of the strange world of antimatter … Written for the serious layperson, Fraser’s absorbing narrative … imparts a keen sense of the colorful personalities involved, and of their thought processes and discoveries, without ever introducing maths or burdensome technical detail.’ Publishers Weekly

‘… a superb review on the prediction and discovery of antimatter … this is a great ‘must read’ book.’ Stuart Tovey, The Physicist

‘This book introduced the Lewis Carroll world of antimatter … this is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.’ Physics Courier

About the Author
Gordon Fraser works at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics, Geneva, Switzerland, where he is Editor of CERN Courier, a monthly magazine covering all aspects of particle physics. He has been a Visiting Lecturer in Science Communication at several universities.

Customer Reviews

Not a bad read if you are fascinated by quantum physics.
This book is written in much the same vein as John Gribbin's "In search of Schodinger's cat", with most of the book dedicated to the history of the subject. As such it is not a bad read. In particular the characterisations of the scientists, provides a nice human angle. On the down side, I found it a bit dull, primarily, because of a lack of direction. Throughout the book I was waiting for the crux... Overall, I would say that if you have an interest in Quantum physics, this is worth a read. Not quite on a par with John Gribbin's book though.