Böcker av Jim (Freelance science writer) Baggott

Utterly beautiful. Profoundly disconcerting. Quantum theory is quite simply the most successful account of the physical universe ever devised. The pursuit of its implications has been the driving motivation of physicists for 100 years. Jim Baggott traces the story, the personalities and the rivalries, through 40 turning-point moments.

Jim Baggott explores how our understanding of the nature of matter, and its fundamental property of mass, has developed, from the ancient Greek view of indivisible atoms to quantum mechanics, dark matter, the Higgs field, and beyond. He shows how the stuff of the universe is proving more elusive and uncertain than we ever imagined.

The greatest challenge for physics is to combine its two most successful theories: general relativity and quantum mechanics. The resulting quantum theory of gravity would explain the universe across all scales. Much has been said about the approach based on string theory. Here, Jim Baggott describes its powerful rival: Loop Quantum Gravity.

Jim Baggott sets out the scientific story of creation - 13.8 billion years from the Big Bang to human consciousness, via the origins of the space and time, mass and light, stars, the habitable earth, and life itself. From astrophysics to biology, the whole inspiring picture is here.

The hunt for the Higgs particle involved the biggest, most expensive experiment ever. Finally, on 4 July 2012, CERN made the momentous announcement that a Higgs-like particle had been discovered. Here, Jim Baggott explains the science behind the discovery, how the theory was developed, and its implications for the future.