The Infinity Puzzle: Quantum Field Theory and the Hunt for an Orderly Universe

Close, Frank

ISBN 10: 0465021441 / ISBN 13: 9780465021444

Editore: Basic Books, 2011

Codice articolo 0465021441-3-27122027

Riassunto:

Speculation is rife that by 2012 the elusive Higgs boson will be found at the Large Hadron Collider. If found, the Higgs boson would help explain why everything has mass. But there’s more at stake?what we’re really testing is our capacity to make the universe reasonable.

Our best understanding of physics is predicated on something known as quantum field theory. Unfortunately, in its raw form, it doesn’t make sense?its outputs are physically impossible infinite percentages when they should be something simpler, like the number 1. The kind of physics that the Higgs boson represents seeks to ?renormalize” field theory, forcing equations to provide answers that match what we see in the real world.

The Infinity Puzzle is the story of a wild idea on the road to acceptance. Only Close can tell it.

Informazioni sull?autore:

Frank Close is a Professor of Theoretical Physics at Oxford University and Fellow and Tutor in Physics at Exeter College, Oxford. He is the winner of the Kelvin Medal for the public understanding of physics and the author of ten books. He lives in Abingdon, England.

Dati bibliografici

Titolo: The Infinity Puzzle: Quantum Field Theory ...
Casa editrice: Basic Books
Data di pubblicazione: 2011
Legatura: hardcover
Condizione: Good