Jayawardhana includes a fascinating account of the disputes between the theorists and experimentalists in this epic...
An astrophysicist explains why scientists are eager to learn more about the elusive, “pathologically shy” neutrino.
“[N]eutrinos are the most abundant matter particles in the universe,” writes Jayawardhana (Observational Astrophysics/Univ. of Toronto; Strange New Worlds: The Search for Alien Planets and Life beyond Our Solar System, 2011, etc.). “[A]bout a hundred-trillion neutrinos produced in the nuclear furnace at the Sun's core pass through your body every second…yet they do no harm and leave no trace.” The author traces their discovery to the dawn of the quantum age, when the release of radioactive materials appeared to challenge conservation of energy. In 1930, physicist Wolfgang Pauli suggested the existence of a putative, still-undetected particle (the neutrino) as a way to balance the energy equation. At that time, only three elementary particles (the proton, the electron and the photon) were known. With the discovery of the neutron, the role of the neutrino in transformations between neutrons and protons became clearer. Jayawardhana explains that despite the fact that fission and fusion release “staggering bursts of these particles,” their experimental verification only became possible as an outgrowth of the effort to produce an atomic bomb in the days leading up to World War I. “Since then,” he writes, “we have realized that the shy neutrinos hold the key to unraveling a great many cosmic mysteries.” Further experiments led to new anomalies and the recognition that the ghostly neutrino was not, as first thought, without mass. Today, we may now be on the verge of “solving the great mystery of how matter came to dominate the universe.”
Jayawardhana includes a fascinating account of the disputes between the theorists and experimentalists in this epic scientific adventure story with—as of yet—no last chapter.Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-374-22063-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Scientific American/Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both...
Italian theoretical physicist Rovelli (General Relativity: The Most Beautiful of Theories, 2015, etc.) shares his thoughts on the broader scientific and philosophical implications of the great revolution that has taken place over the past century.
These seven lessons, which first appeared as articles in the Sunday supplement of the Italian newspaper Sole 24 Ore, are addressed to readers with little knowledge of physics. In less than 100 pages, the author, who teaches physics in both France and the United States, cogently covers the great accomplishments of the past and the open questions still baffling physicists today. In the first lesson, he focuses on Einstein's theory of general relativity. He describes Einstein's recognition that gravity "is not diffused through space [but] is that space itself" as "a stroke of pure genius." In the second lesson, Rovelli deals with the puzzling features of quantum physics that challenge our picture of reality. In the remaining sections, the author introduces the constant fluctuations of atoms, the granular nature of space, and more. "It is hardly surprising that there are more things in heaven and earth, dear reader, than have been dreamed of in our philosophy—or in our physics,” he writes. Rovelli also discusses the issues raised in loop quantum gravity, a theory that he co-developed. These issues lead to his extraordinary claim that the passage of time is not fundamental but rather derived from the granular nature of space. The author suggests that there have been two separate pathways throughout human history: mythology and the accumulation of knowledge through observation. He believes that scientists today share the same curiosity about nature exhibited by early man.
An intriguing meditation on the nature of the universe and our attempts to understand it that should appeal to both scientists and general readers.Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-18441-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Riverhead
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A magnificent account of a central reality of our times, incorporating deep scientific expertise, broad political and social knowledge, and ethical insight, and Idled with beautifully written biographical sketches of the men and women who created nuclear physics. Rhodes describes in detail the great scientific achievements that led up to the invention of the atomic bomb. Everything of importance is examined, from the discovery of the atomic nucleus and of nuclear fission to the emergence of quantum physics, the invention of the mass-spectroscope and of the cyclotron, the creation of such man-made elements as plutonium and tritium, and implementation of the nuclear chain reaction in uranium. Even more important, Rhodes shows how these achievements were thrust into the arms of the state, which culminated in the unfolding of the nuclear arms race. Often brilliantly, he records the rise of fascism and of anti-Semitism, and the intensification of nationalist ambitions. He traces the outbreak of WW II, which provoked a hysterical rivalry among nations to devise the bomb. This book contains a grim description of Japanese resistance, and of the horrible psychological numbing that caused an unparalleled tolerance for human suffering and destruction. Rhodes depicts the Faustian scale of the Manhattan Project. His account of the dropping of the bomb itself, and of the awful firebombing that prepared its way, is unforgettable. Although Rhodes' gallery of names and events is sometimes dizzying, his scientific discussions often daunting, he has written a book of great drama and sweep. A superb accomplishment.
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 1986
ISBN: 0684813785
Page Count: 932
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1986
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