Synopses & Reviews
Neutrinos are perhaps the most enigmatic particles in the universe. These tiny, ghostly particles are formed by the billions in stars and pass through us constantly, unseen, at almost the speed of light. Yet half a century after their discovery, we still know less about them than all the other varieties of matter that have ever been seen.
In this engaging, concise volume, renowned scientist and writer Frank Close gives a vivid account of the discovery of neutrinos and our growing understanding of their significance, touching on speculative ideas concerning the possible uses of neutrinos and their role in the early universe along the way. Close begins with the discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel and Marie and Pierre Curie, the early model of the atom by Ernest Rutherford, and Wolfgang Pauli's solution to that problem by inventing the concept of neutrino (named by Enrico Fermi, "neutrino" being Italian for "little neutron"). The book describes how the confirmation of Pauli's theory didn't occur until 1956, when Clyde Cowan and Fred Reines detected neutrinos, and reveals that the first "natural" neutrinos were finally detected by Reines in 1965 (before that, they had only been detected in reactors or accelerators).
Close takes us to research experiments miles underground that are able to track neutrinos' fleeting impact as they pass through vast pools of cadmium chloride and he explains why they are becoming of such interest to cosmologists--if we can track where a neutrino originated we will be looking into the far distant reaches of the universe.
Review
"A skilled physicist, Mr. Close tells this story with verve and precision. His writing is admirably clear and eminently accessible.In a short compass, Mr. Close gives the reader a solid account of both the scientists involved and their crucial findings."
Wall Street Journal
"A cracking detective story...a highly-recommended book."
Science File
Synopsis
What are neutrinos? Why does nature need them? What use are they?
Neutrinos are perhaps the most enigmatic particles in the universe. Formed in certain radioactive decays, they pass through most matter with ease. These tiny, ghostly particles are formed in millions in the Sun and pass through us constantly. For a long time they were thought to be massless, and passing as they do like ghosts they were not regarded as significant. Now we know they have a very small mass, and there are strong indications that they are very important indeed. It is speculated that a heavy form of neutrino, that is both matter and antimatter, may have shaped the balance of matter and antimatter in the early universe.
Here, Frank Close gives an account of the discovery of neutrinos and our growing understanding of their significance, also touching on some speculative ideas concerning the possible uses of neutrinos and their role in the early universe.
About the Author
Frank Close, OBE, is Professor of Physics at Oxford University and a Fellow of Exeter College. He was formerly vice president of the British Association for Advancement of Science, Head of the Theoretical Physics Division at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, and Head of Communications and Public Education at CERN. He is the author of several books, including
The Void (OUP, 2007) and the best-selling
Lucifer's Legacy (OUP, 2000). He was the winner of the Kelvin Medal of the Institute of Physics for his 'outstanding contributions to the public understanding of physics'. His other books include
Particle Physics: A Very Short Introduction (2004),
The Cosmic Onion (1983),
The Particle Explosion (1987),
End (1988),
Too Hot to Handle - the race for cold fusion (1991), and
The Particle Odyssey (OUP, 2002).
Table of Contents
1. A desperate remedy
2. Seeing the invisible
3. Winning the lottery
4. Is the Sun still shining?
5. How many Solar neutrinos?
6. Underground science
7. One, two, three
8. More missing neutrinos
9. 'I feel like I'm dancing I'm so happy'
10. Extragalactic neutrinos
11. Reprise