Can the Laws of Physics Be Unified? (eBook)

Paul Langacker (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2017
288 Seiten
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-1-4008-8550-3 (ISBN)

Infos

Paul Langacker is senior scientist at Princeton University, visitor at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, and professor emeritus of physics at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of The Standard Model and Beyond.

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A concise introduction to the cutting-edge science of particle physicsThe standard model of particle physics describes our current understanding of nature's fundamental particles and their interactions, yet gaps remain. For example, it does not include a quantum theory of gravity, nor does it explain the existence of dark matter. Once complete, however, the standard model could provide a unified description of the very building blocks of the universe. Researchers have been chasing this dream for decades, and many wonder whether such a dream can ever be made a reality.Can the Laws of Physics Be Unified? is a short introduction to this exciting frontier of physics. The book is accessibly written for students and researchers across the sciences, and for scientifically minded general readers. Paul Langacker begins with an overview of the key breakthroughs that have shaped the standard model, and then describes the fundamental particles, their interactions, and their role in cosmology. He goes on to explain field theory, internal symmetries, Yang-Mills theories, strong and electroweak interactions, the Higgs boson discovery, and neutrino physics. Langacker then looks at the questions that are still unanswered: What is the nature of the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that make up roughly 95 percent of the universe? Why is there more matter than antimatter? How can we reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity?Can the Laws of Physics Be Unified? describes the promising theoretical ideas and new experiments that could provide answers and weighs our prospects for establishing a truly unified theory of the smallest constituents of nature and their interactions.

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 28.2.2017
• Reihe/Serie: Princeton Frontiers in Physics
• Reihe/Serie: Princeton Frontiers in Physics
• Zusatzinfo: 11 halftones. 18 line illus. 5 tables.
• Verlagsort: Princeton
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Atom- / Kern- / Molekularphysik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Hochenergiephysik / Teilchenphysik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Quantenphysik
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Relativitätstheorie
• Schlagworte: Antimatter • Atomic Nucleus • Atomic physics • atomic theory • big bang nucleosynthesis • Bohr magneton • Chronology of the universe • classical electromagnetism • Classical physics • Compactification (physics) • Cosmic Ray • cosmological constant • Cosmological Constant Problem • Cross section (physics) • dark energy • Dirac equation • Discovery of the neutron • Effective mass (solid-state physics) • Eightfold Way (physics) • electromagnetism • Electron magnetic moment • Electroweak interaction • Electroweak scale • elementary particle • Fermi–Dirac statistics • Fermilab • Fermion • Fermi's interaction • Flavour (particle physics) • Gauge boson • Gauge Theory • General relativity • Gluon • Gravitational Wave • Gravitational-wave astronomy • Graviton • Hadron • Hadron Collider • hadron spectroscopy • Higgs boson • Higgs Mechanism • Leptogenesis (physics) • Lepton • lepton number • Loop Quantum Gravity • Modern Physics • Modified Newtonian dynamics • Moduli (physics) • Naturalness (physics) • Neutrino • Neutrino Oscillation • Neutron • Newton's law of universal gravitation • nuclear binding energy • nuclear fusion • nuclear physics • Nucleon • Particle accelerator • Particle physics • Perturbation theory (quantum mechanics) • Photon • physicist • physics beyond the standard model • positron • Proton decay • Quantization of the electromagnetic field • Quantum Chromodynamics • quantum dynamics • quantum electrodynamics • quantum field theory • Quantum fluctuation • Quantum Gravity • Quantum Hall Effect • quantum mechanics • Quantum number • quantum superposition • quantum system • Quark • Quark–gluon plasma • quark model • Relativistic particle • Relativistic wave equations • renormalization • Scalar (physics) • Special relativity • Spin (physics) • Spontaneous Symmetry Breaking • Statistical Physics • String (physics) • String Theory • Strong Interaction • Supergravity • Superpartner • Superstring Theory • Supersymmetry • Tests of general relativity • The laws of physics • theoretical physics • Unitarity (physics) • Weak Interaction
• ISBN-10: 1-4008-8550-7 / 1400885507
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4008-8550-3 / 9781400885503