The Particle at the End of the Universe

How the Hunt for the Higgs Boson Leads Us to the Edge of a New World

By: Sean Carroll

Narrated by: Jonathan Hogan

Scientists have just announced an historic discovery on a par with the splitting of the atom: The Higgs boson, the key to understanding why mass exists has been found. In The Particle at the End of the Universe, Caltech physicist and acclaimed writer Sean Carroll takes readers behind the scenes of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to meet the scientists and explain this landmark event.

©2012 Sean Carroll (P)2012 Recorded Books

excellent book

"we are matter contemplating itself". doesn't get much better than that. this book is great.

great book. not long enough

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes.

Any additional comments?

I think the title is dumb. This is one of the only up to date particle physics audio book. It is very good.

An Intro to QFT

The book offers an introduction to quantum field theory, the standard model and particle physics with the story of the LHC interspersed every other chapter. The coverage of the topics is helpful with some useful analogies, though I feel like if one is not paying close attention, important details can be missed easily.

big questions about tiny things

Fascinating, and more. Sean Carroll, with academic excellence in both theoretical physics and philosophy, brings existential meaning to the most intricate studies of the particles that comprise the universe - and our bodies. He explains both in ways that non-scientists can understand and appreciate.

Great Book - If you know some physics

I just finished this book and enjoyed it. But - a caveat:

You really need to know some physics before you listen. I have a graduate degree in applied physics, and have read about quantum theory for years, so wasn't intimidated. But, if you have never had at least some undergraduate physics, I think you could be frustrated. It's not the fault of the author. He has two problems in telling his story: he can't explain all of physics in a book; and, the nature of the subject is completely unintuitive.

Even if you don't understand all the physics, you still might enjoy the people involved, and the history of the collider. It does give insight into the particle physics community.

One other small thing for me - I thought he went on a bit long at the end about why fund future physics. It started to sound a bit like testimony before a congressional committee. But I guess one is always required to explain the potential practical applications of anything in science, although personally, I think the answer "we need to understand the universe" is good enough.

Anyway, definitely worth reading if you want to learn a bit about the world of cutting edge high energy physics.