Material Exploration: From Electrons to Quarks

Author: Lu Tan / Luo Liofu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: The history of scientific development has repeatedly proven that every leap in human understanding leads to the establishment of a new theory. This new theory unifies previously thought-to-be entirely different fields, thereby allowing for the generalization of more phenomena. The case of neutrinos, the world in a mirror, and the short-lived particles—resonances—have been explored in the field of particle physics. Successively, 51 individuals have been awarded 31 Nobel Prizes in this domain, a feat unparalleled in the history of the Nobel Prizes. This book explains the fundamental knowledge of particle physics in a popular manner, providing detailed discussions on the discoveries of major common particles such as electrons, photons, protons, neutrons, antiparticles, neutrinos, resonances, as well as more specialized particles like J/ψ. It delves into the stories of the gradual unification of understanding, such as the violation of parity conservation and the quark model, in an accessible and vivid way. For some significant discoveries or advancements, particularly those that have won Nobel Prizes, the book places special emphasis on their explanations. Additionally, most of the fundamental data has been updated. Moreover, the book dedicates a chapter to explaining the applications of quarks in astronomy and astrophysics, especially the exploration and research on strange quark stars.