Product Description

"An excellent book on one of the most important advances in modern physics. "-Samuel C. C. Ting, Nobel Laureate. "A fascinating account of the theoretical ideas behind supersymmetry...told by someone who has contributed deeply to the development of the field." -NatureFor most of human history, man has been trying to discover just how the universe works. In this groundbreaking work, renowned physicist Gordon Kane first gives us the basics of the Standard Model, which describes the fundamental constituents and forces of nature. He then explains the next great leap in understanding: the theory of supersymmetry, which implies that each of the fundamental particles has a "superpartner" that can be detected at energies and intensities only now being achieved in the giant accelerators. If Kane and his colleagues are correct, these superpartners will also help solve many of the puzzles of modern physics-such as the existence of the Higgs boson-as well as one of the biggest mysteries is cosmology: the notorious "dark matter" of the universe.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #311856 in Books
• Published on: 2001-06-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Call it a preview of coming attractions: the physical theory called "supersymmetry" is as yet unproven, but its proof will unite the four fundamental forces of nature--electromagnetism, gravity, and the strong and weak nuclear forces--and lead to the so-called Grand Unified Theory for which physicists have long quested. The theory underlying supersymmetry posits that every particle has a "superpartner" (a quark has a "squark," an electron has a "selectron," and so on), the existence of which can be adduced by observable behaviour; some of these superpartners, such as the conjectured Higgs bosons, are, physicist Gordon Kane writes, "really a new kind of matter."

The experimental proof required to validate supersymmetry will soon be available, when reconfigured particle accelerators at the Fermilab in Illinois and CERN in Switzerland go on line. These accelerators will be powerful enough to "smash" particles at hitherto unknown levels of energy--and, Kane adds, they will be enormously expensive. He justifies the by insisting, "Society always comes out ahead, even from a purely financial perspective, when it builds such facilities, because new developments lead to 'spinoffs' that in turn lead to multibillion-dollar industries." Society will come out ahead in another way, Kane confidently predicts, with supersymmetry providing knowledge of how the world really works. Accessible and thought-provoking, Kane's book offers a glimpse of that knowledge to come. --Gregory McNamee, Amazon.com

Review
"An excellent book on one of the most important advances in modern physics."-Samuel C. C. Ting, Nobel Laureate. "A fascinating account of the theoretical ideas behind super symmetry...told by someone who has contributed deeply to the development of the field." -Nature"