This book provides a comprehensive overview of modern particle physics accessible to anyone with a true passion for wanting to know how the universe works. We are introduced to the known particles of the world we live in. An elegant explanation of quantum mechanics and relativity paves the way for an understanding of the laws that govern particle physics. These laws are put into action in the world of accelerators, colliders and detectors found at institutions such as CERN and Fermilab that are in the forefront of technical innovation. Real world and theory meet, with the use of Feynman diagrams to solve the problems of infinities and deduce the need for the Higgs boson.

Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics offers incredible insight from an eyewitness and participant in some of the greatest discoveries in 20th century science. From Einstein's theory of relativity to the elusive Higgs particle, this book will fascinate and educate anyone interested in the world of quarks, leptons and gauge theories.

This book also contains many thumbnail sketches of particle physics personalities, including contemporaries as seen through the eyes of the author. Illustrated with pictures, these candid sketches present rare, perceptive views of the characters that populate the field.

Nobel Laureate physicist Veltman (emeritus, U. of Michigan-Ann Arbor) discusses in lay terms such features of elementary particles as the standard model, detection, the CERN neutrino experiment, and quantum chromodynamics. He does not assume any background in the mathematical methods of quantum mechanics, so leaves out the equations and hopes readers will trust him. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A comprehensive overview of modern particle physics, which seeks to be accessible to anyone who wants to know how the universe works. An explanation of quantum mechanics and relativity paves the way for an understanding of the laws that govern particle physics.

Preliminaries. Atoms, nuclei and particles — Photons — Antiparticles — Mass and energy — Events — Electron-volts and other units — Particle names and the Greek alphabet — Scientific notation — Standard model. Conservation of energy and charge — Quantum numbers — Color — Electron-neutrino, electron number and crossing — First family — Families and forces — Spin 1/2 particles — Spin 1 and 2 particles — Forces and interactions — Classification of interactions — Electromagnetic, weak, strong, Higgs and gravitational interactions — Representing interactions — Origin of quantum numbers — Quantum mechanics. Mixing. Two-slit experiment — Amplitude and probability — Cabibbo and CKM mixing — Neutrino mixing — Particle mixing — Energy, momentum and mass-shell. Conservation laws — Relativity — Relativistic invariance — Relation E equals mc squared — Detection. Photoelectric effect — Bubble chambers — Spark chambers — Proportional wire chambers — Accelerators and storage rings. Energy bubbles — Accelerators — Secondary beams — Machine builders — CERN neutrino experiment. Experimental set-up — Neutrino physics — First neutrino experiments — Vector bosons — Missed opportunities --Particle zoo. Bound states — Structure of quark bound states — Spin of a bound state — Mesons — Baryons — Exotics — Discovering quarks — Triplets versus doublets and lepton-quark symmetry — Particle theory. Feynman rules - Infinites — Perturbation theory — Renormalizability — Weak interactions — Compton scattering — Neutral vector bosons — Charmed quarks — Higgs particle — General Higgs couplings — Speculations — Rho-parameter — Finding the Higgs. Quantum chromodynamics. Confinement — Asymptotic freedom — Scaling.