The Infinity Puzzle : Quantum Field Theory and the Hunt for an Orderly Universe

Prologue: Amsterdam, 1971 -- 1. The point of infinity -- 2. Shelter Island and QED -- 3. Feynman, Schwinger ... and Tomonaga (and Dyson) -- Intermission: 1950 -- 4. Abdus Salam: a strong beginning -- 5. Yang, Mills ... and Shaw -- 6. The identity of John Ward -- 7. The marriage of weak and electromagnetic forces -- to 1964 -- Intermission, 1960 -- 8. Broken symmetries -- 9. "The boson that has been named after me", a.k.a the Higgs Boson -- Intermission, Mid-1960s -- 10. 1967: from Kibble to Salam and Weinberg -- 11. "And now I introduce Mr. 't Hoof" -- Intermission: Early 1970s -- 13. B.J. and the cosmic quarks -- 13. A comedy of errors -- Intermission: 1975 -- 14. Heavy light -- 15. Warmly admired, richly deserved -- 16. The big machine -- Intermission: End of the twentieth century -- 17. To infinity and beyond -- Epilogue: the bonfire of the infinities.;"The second half of the twentieth century witnessed a scientific gold rush, as physicists raced to chart the inner workings of the atom. While many of its mysteries came unraveled, one remained intractable--the "Infinity Puzzle." Although quantum field theory offered a powerful explanatory framework for elementary particle physics, it nonetheless made one utterly ridiculous prediction: that certain events had an infinite probability of occurring. In The Infinity Puzzle, acclaimed theoretical physicist Frank Close covers half a century of particle physics and explains how scientists reached a solution that enables theory to match what we see in the real world, and in so doing gave rise to the idea of the Higgs boson. With a physicist's expertise and a historian's care, Close describes the personalities and competition, the dead ends and the sudden insights, in a story for the pursuit of an orderly universe. This updated edition includes a new epilogue that brings the story up to date, including the July 4, 2012, announcement of a Higgs "beyond reasonable doubt" and discussion of where physics goes next."--Publisher's website. Speculation Is Rife That By 2012 The Elusive Higgs Boson Will Be Found At The Large Hadron Collider. If Found, The Higgs Boson Would Help Explain Why Everything Has Mass. But There's More At Stake-what We're Really Testing Is Our Capacity To Make The Universe Reasonable. Our Best Understanding Of Physics Is Predicated On Something Known As Quantum Field Theory. Unfortunately, In Its Raw Form, It Doesn't Make Sense-its Outputs Are Physically Impossible Infinite Percentages When They Should Be Something Simpler, Like The Number 1. The Kind Of Physics That The Higgs Boson Represents Seeks To Renormalize Field Theory, Forcing Equations To Provide Answers That Match What We See In The Real World. The Infinity Puzzle Is The Story Of A Wild Idea On The Road To Acceptance. Only Close Can Tell It--provided By Publisher. Many Mysteries Of The Atom Have Came Unraveled, But One Remains Intractable- What Frank Close Calls The Infinity Puzzle'. The Problem Was Simple To Describe. Although Clearly Very Powerful, Quantum Field Theory Was Making One Utterly Ridiculous Prediction: That Certain Events Had An Infinite Probability Of Occurring. The Infinity Puzzle Charts The Birth And Life Of The Idea, And The Scientists, Who Realized It. Based On Numerous Firsthand Interviews And Extensive Research, This Book Captures An Era Of Great Mystery And Greater Discovery. Even If The Higgs Boson Is Never Found, Renormalization- The Pursuit Of An Orderly Universe- Has Led To One Of The Richest And Most Productive Intellectual Periods In Human History.--[book Jacket] Prologue : Amsterdam, 1971 -- Genesis. The Point Of Infinity ; Shelter Island And Qed ; Feynman, Schwinger, -- And Tomonaga (and Dyson) ; Intermission : 1950 ; Abdus Salam : A Strong Beginning ; Yang, Mills, -- And Shaw ; The Identity Of John Ward ; The Marriage Of Weak And Electromagnetic Forces -- To 1964 ; Intermission : 1960 ; Broken Symmetries ; The Boson That Has Been Named After Me, A.k.a., The Higgs Boson ; Intermission : Mid-1960s ; 1967 : From Kibble To Salam And Weinberg ; And Now I Introduce Mr. 't Hooft ; Intermission : Early 1970s -- Revelation. B.j. And The Cosmic Quarks ; A Comedy Of Errors ; Intermission : 1975 -- Heavy Light ; Warmly Admired, Richly Deserved ; The Big Machine ; Intermission : End Of The Twentieth Century ; To Infinity And Beyond. Frank Close. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. We are living in a Golden Age of physics. With the mind of a scientist and the skill of a journalist, bestselling author and renowned physicist Frank Close gives us an insider's look at one of the most inspiring - and challenging - scientific breakthroughs of our time: the Large Hadron Collider in Geneva. About 40 years ago, 3 brilliant, yet little-known scientists made breakthroughs that later inspired the construction of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN in Geneva: a 27-kilometre-long machine which has already cost $10 billion, taken 20 years to build and now promises to reveal how the universe itself came to be. The Infinity Puzzle is the inside story of those 40 years of research, breakthrough and endeavour. The work of Peter Higgs, Gerard 't Hooft and James Bjorken is explored here, played out across the decades against a backdrop of high politics, low behaviour and billion-dollar budgets. In The Infinity Puzzle , eminent physicist and award-winning author Frank Close writes from within the action and draws upon his close friendships with those involved. "Speculation is rife that by 2012 the elusive Higgs boson will be found at the Large Hadron Collider. If found, the Higgs boson would help explain why everything has mass. But there's more at stake-what we're really testing is our capacity to make the universe reasonable. Our best understanding of physics is predicated on something known as quantum field theory. Unfortunately, in its raw form, it doesn't make sense-its outputs are physically impossible infinite percentages when they should be something simpler, like the number 1. The kind of physics that the Higgs boson represents seeks to "renormalize" field theory, forcing equations to provide answers that match what we see in the real world. The Infinity Puzzle is the story of a wild idea on the road to acceptance. Only Close can tell it"--Résumé de l'éditeur Speculation is rife that by 2012 the elusive Higgs boson will be found at the Large Hadron Collider. If found, the Higgs boson would help explain why everything has mass. But there’s more at stake—what we’re really testing is our capacity to make the universe reasonable.

Our best understanding of physics is predicated on something known as quantum field theory. Unfortunately, in its raw form, it doesn’t make sense—its outputs are physically impossible infinite percentages when they should be something simpler, like the number 1. The kind of physics that the Higgs boson represents seeks to “renormalize” field theory, forcing equations to provide answers that match what we see in the real world.

The Infinity Puzzle is the story of a wild idea on the road to acceptance. Only Close can tell it.

Speculation is rife that by 2012 the elusive Higgs boson will be found at the Large Hadron Collider. If found, the Higgs boson would help explain why everything has mass. But there's more at stake -- what we're really testing is our capacity to make the universe reasonable. Our best understanding of physics is predicated on something known as quantum field theory. Unfortunately, in its raw form, it doesn't't make sense -- its outputs are physically impossible infinite percentages when they should be something simpler, like the number 1. The kind of physics that the Higgs boson represents seeks to "renormalize" field theory, forcing equations to provide answers that match what we see in the real world. The Infinity Puzzle is the story of a wild idea on the road to acceptance. Only Close can tell it. Annotation Speculation is rife that by 2012 the elusive Higgs boson will be found at the Large Hadron Collider. If found, the Higgs boson would help explain why everything has mass. But theres more at stakewhat were really testing is our capacity to make the universe reasonable. Our best understanding of physics is predicated on something known as quantum field theory. Unfortunately, in its raw form, it doesnt make senseits outputs are physically impossible infinite percentages when they should be something simpler, like the number 1. The kind of physics that the Higgs boson represents seeks to renormalize field theory, forcing equations to provide answers that match what we see in the real world. The Infinity Puzzle is the story of a wild idea on the road to acceptance. Only Close can tell it