The Higgs Boson and Beyond

By: Sean Carroll, The Great Courses

Narrated by: Sean Carroll

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

The discovery of the Higgs boson is a triumph of modern physics. The hunt for the Higgs was the subject of wide media attention due to the cost of the project, the complexity of the experiment, and the importance of its result. And, when it was announced with great fanfare in 2012 that physicists has succeeded in creating and identifying this all-important new particle, the discovery was celebrated around the world.

And yet, virtually no one who read that news could tell you what, exactly, the Higgs boson was, and why its discovery was so important that we had to spend 10 billion dollars and build the single largest and most complex device in the history of mankind in order to find it. When you understand the details, this story ranks as one of the most thrilling in the history of modern science.

Award-winning theoretical physicist Sean Carroll, a brilliant researcher as well as a gifted speaker who excels in explaining scientific concepts to the public, is perfectly positioned to tell this story. In this 12-lecture masterpiece of scientific reporting, you'll learn everything you need to know to fully grasp the significance of this discovery, including the basics of quantum mechanics; the four forces that comprise the Standard Model of particle physics; how these forces are transmitted by fields and particles; and the importance of symmetry in physics.

You also get an in-depth view of the Large Hadron Collider - the largest machine ever built, and the device responsible for finally revealing the concept of the Higgs boson as reality. By the end, you'll understand how the Higgs boson verifies the final piece in the Standard Model of particle physics, and how its discovery validates and deepens our understanding of the universe.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2015 The Great Courses (P)2015 The Teaching Company, LLC

Mind = Blown

As a layman I found that most of this went completely over my head but it is presented very well and very, very interesting. I think I will have to go back to a bit more of a "physics for dummies" type course and come back and listen to this again when I have a better grasp of the basics.

Higgs & Beyond the Infinite.

Impressed by how the author explains gaps, uncertainties and the process of scientific discovery. I enjoyed the 1st listening, I expect to understand more on my second listen. Great lectures for the non physicist.

Big fan of Sean Carroll

As someone who studied Astrophysics and Physics as an undergrad, I trully enjoyed listening to Sean as he is a gtrat storyteller. Many useful info and overall it had a good balance of easy and harder concepts to grasp. one little feedback: In my opinion, it got a bit too loose and story-like toward the last few chapters. Fewer interesting concepts or phenomena to mentally grapple with or be stimulated by. All in all, still a big fan and will listen to his other audiobooks out there. Thank you Sean and thank you Great Courses.

Mind Boggling

Sean is an incredibly talented speaker. His grasp of the subject is phenomenal. I can't say that I was able to follow everything, through no fault of his. In fact it was his engaging style that kept me going. Amazing.

Great performance. Good information.

Sean Carroll takes you through a brief history of particle physics and quantum field theory. I love how animated he is about it and his descriptions of how things work are clear and geared towards those of us that are not experts. Only complaint is that it's too short!

Awesome

Loved it. Learned a lot about physics that I was not taught in engineering school

Outstanding Glimpse into a Strange World

What made the experience of listening to The Higgs Boson and Beyond the most enjoyable?

Dr. Carroll has a great passion for his work, and works his way through explanations of extraordinarily complex phenomena using simple, easy to understand analogies to everyday things. His enthusiasm is contagious, and his energy in delivering each lecture never falters. He humanizes the subject extremely well, telling us about the people who contributed to the journey that resulted in the discovery of the Higgs as well as the technical side. Although most people would consider me a "technical" person, I really "got" only a fraction of this material, yet is was an enjoyable listen as long as I stopped after each 30-minute lecture to let it all sink in! I believe that I will need to listen to this again.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The HIggs Boson is the star of the show! The entire concept of field theory and energy-mass equivalence the way Dr. Carroll explains it is "relatively" easy to grasp!

Have you listened to any of Professor Sean Carroll’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, thi was the first.

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

No way, my head would explode. The 30-minute lectures are perfect.

Any additional comments?

Great book, excellent narration, highly recommended.

Absolutely wonderful

Any additional comments?

This course is just wonderful! It is one of the most detailed, careful, and clear explanations of the Higgs boson discovery, the LHC, and the particle physics behind them that I have ever heard. I loved every sentence of it. It is rare for me to listen to anything twice, but in this case I will make an exception, and will listen to at least the last half of the course again. Thanks, Sean Carroll.

Well done! I wish I understood it all better.

Excellent and well done lectures, but I’d have to learn a lot more of Physics basics to understand all this. I'm grateful for what I did understand.

Amazing ability to present a complex subject

my 15 year old son listened to it with me on my second time listening. listening to the book a second time really solidified the subject.