by Alan Chodos (Author), James Riordon (Author), Don Lincoln (Foreword)

“Engagingly written . . . a vital and accessible resource for those with a general interest in particle physics and neutrino research.”  – Nature Astronomy

The fascinating story of science in pursuit of the ghostly, ubiquitous subatomic particle—the neutrino.

Isaac Asimov once observed of the neutrino: “The only reason scientists suggested its existence was their need to make calculations come out even. And yet the nothing-particle was not a nothing at all.” In fact, as one of the most enigmatic and most populous particles in the universe—about 100 trillion are flying through you every second—the neutrino may hold the clues to some of our deepest cosmic mysteries.

In Ghost Particle, Alan Chodos and James Riordon recount the dramatic history of the neutrino—from the initial suggestion that the particle was merely a desperate solution to a puzzle that threatened to undermine the burgeoning field of particle physics to its modern role in illuminating the universe via neutrino telescopes.

Alan Chodos and James Riordon are deft and engaging guides as they conduct readers through the experiences of intrepid scientists and the challenges they faced, and continue to face, in their search for the ghostly neutrino. Along the way, the authors provide expert insight into the significance of neutrino research from the particle’s first, momentous discovery to recent, revolutionary advances in neutrino detection and astronomy. Chodos and Riordon describe how neutrinos may soon provide clues to some of the biggest questions we encounter today, including how to understand the dark matter that makes up most of the universe—and why anything exists in the universe at all.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B2MMYMPR

Publisher ‏ : ‎ The MIT Press (February 28, 2023)

Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 28, 2023

Language ‏ : ‎ English

File ‏ : ‎ EPUB, 1.64 MB

Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported

Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Print length ‏ : ‎ 318 pages