Beamtimes and Lifetimes : The World of High Energy Physicists

"The unique breed of particle physicists constitutes a community of sophisticated mythmakers--explicators of the nature of matter who forever alter our views of space and time. But who are these people? What is their world really like? Sharon Traweek, a bold and original observer of culture, opens the door to this unusual domain and offers us a glimpse into the inner sanctum."--Cover. Contents......Page 6 Preface......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Prologue: An Anthropologist Studies Physicists......Page 18 1 Touring the Site: Powerful Places in the Laboratory......Page 35 2 Inventing Machines That Discover Nature: Detectors at SLAC and KEK......Page 63 3 Pilgrim's Progress: Male Tales Told During a Life in Physics......Page 91 4 Ground States: Distinctions and the Ties That Bind......Page 123 5 Buying Time and Taking Space: Negotiations, Collaboration, and Change......Page 143 Epilogue: Knowledge and Passion......Page 174 Notes......Page 182 Index......Page 202 Annotation The unique breed of particle physicists constitutes a community of sophisticated mythmakers--explicators of the nature of matter who forever alter our views of space and time. But who are these people? What is their world really like? Sharon Traweek, a bold and original observer of culture, opens the door to this unusual domain and offers us a glimpse into the inner sanctum Looks at the life of particle physicists, showing who these people are and what their world is really like. Traweek shows their similarities and differences, how their careers are shaped, how they interact with their colleagues and how their ideas about time and space shape their social structure. Sharon Traweek. Includes Index. Bibliography: P. [165]-184.