Cracking the particle code of the universe. The hunt for the Higgs boson (Q2854365)

In July, 4th 2012, the discovery of the Higgs boson was announced in a conference at CERN. At this time, the result was not confirmed with 100\% but the confidence level was high enough to spread all over the world. It is the last particle predicted by the so-called Standard Model of Elementary Particle which is discovered now. From this point of view, this model is now complete but many questions are open. The standard model describes three interactions, electromagnetic, weak and strong interaction, between the basic particles: lepton (electron, myon, tauon, neutrinos) and quarks (up, down, strange, charm, bottom, top) in the framework of quantum field theory. Only one interaction is left, the gravitation, but this topic is known as quantum gravity where there is no generally accepted theory.NEWLINENEWLINEThe book started with a lecture of the author describing an alternative mechanism to create the mass of a particle not using the Higgs field. It is a good starting point and introduction. Then Moffat describes the way to the standard model. Starting with the grouping of baryons by Gell-Mann (so-called eightfold way) then explaining the quark model. In particular, the flow of thoughts from three to six quark flavors are expressed. Then the subject shifts to the description of interactions in quantum field theory introducing gauge theories. Here the focus lies at the weak interaction. But how did we know it? In the next section, the experimental background like colliders and detectors are described in the historical context ending with the CMS and ATLAS detectors. Chapter 3 is exceptional in this book. Here, the reader gets a very good introduction of symmetry and groups as used in quantum physics. After a short introduction of the idea of a group, the concept of a symmetry in physics is discussed along the ideas of Noether, Weyl and others. The difference between gauge invariance and invariance of spacetime symmetries is clarified. Of course, the presentation must be general but it was fun to read it. Then, the author describes the main motivation to build the large hadron collider (LHC) at the CERN. It was not only the search for the Higgs boson but rather the search for supersymmetric particles, dark matter and extra dimensions. Chapter 5 is for the me the main chapter in this book. It describes the way to find the mechanism for spontaneous symmetry breaking leading to the Higgs boson. Here, the interplay between solid state and particle physics is describes. It was a fruitful connection which is currently considered again. Topological insulators or the usage of AdS/CFT duality for superconductors or superfluids are now hot topics. In the following two chapters, Moffat describes the experimental basis for finding the Higgs boson. Then in chapter 8, the author discussed its own ideas to circumvent the Higgs boson. But he also discussed the rumors and days around the conference where the discovery of the Higgs boson was spread over the world. If the new boson is indeed the Higgs particle, its discovery represents an important milestone in the history of particle physics. However, despite the pressure to award Nobel Prizes to physicists associated with the Higgs boson as already done, John Moffat argues that there still remain important data analyses to be performed before uncorking the champagne. In the last chapter, he discussed the current data (as of writing this book). Then LHC was shut down until 2015. Now there is no doubt that the Higgs boson was found. But nevertheless it is interesting to understand the arguments of Moffat that there are doubts to identify the finding with the Higgs boson. Some theoretical reasons (fine tune model) to be doubtful about the Higgs boson are collected in chapter 10.NEWLINENEWLINEIn this book, John Moffat describes the way to the standard model but also the background of the discovery itself. It is an insiders-view on particle physics and a behind-the-scenes look on the discovery of the Higgs boson. The book is more a mixture of scientific writing and the detailed description of the race to find the Higgs boson. The whole text is peppered with personal anecdotes and Moffat's own vie on this topic. Some of his well-known theories are also explained. But at the same time, this book is not a typical popular description of the standard model. For me as a great plus, the author cites the original papers when he explained the standard model. In particular, the influence of solid state physics to find the mechanism of spontaneous symmetry breaking is explained in detail. The whole book was a delightful reading, some of the cited papers are on my reading list now. The book is also a good mixture in describing theoretical results and experimental methods. I can recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the history of the standard model and how new theories in physics works come into being.