Particles, Fields, Space-Time: From Thomson’s Electron to Higgs’ Boson

Particles, Fields, Space-Time: From Thomson’s Electron to Higgs’ Boson explores the concepts, ideas, and experimental results that brought us from the discovery of the first elementary particle in the end of the 19th century to the completion of the Standard Model of particle physics in the early 21st century. The book concentrates on disruptive events and unexpected results that fundamentally changed our view of particles and how they move through space-time. It separates the mathematical and technical details from the narrative into focus boxes, so that it remains accessible to non-scientists, yet interesting for those with a scientific background who wish to further their understanding. The text presents and explains experiments and their results wherever appropriate. This book is of interest to a general audience but also to students studying particle physics, physics teachers at all levels, and scientists with a recreational curiosity towards the subject. For this second edition, the complete text has been thoroughly revised. A description of plans for new accelerator facilities has been added, as well as new results on cosmic ray physics, dark matter and dark energy. The usage of natural units has been abandoned in favour of SI units throughout the text. Key Features: Short, comprehensive overview concentrating on major breakthroughs, disruptive ideas, and unexpected results Accessible to all interested in subatomic physics with little prior knowledge required Contains the latest developments in this exciting field