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.

Higgs from beginning to end of time

This was not an easy book to understand and the particle zoo plays a large role in the discussion and often I would lose my way only because the material is sometimes hard to follow, but the book covers everything you always wanted to know about the Higgs Boson and its field, but were afraid to ask.

I absolutely loved the author's previous book, "From Eternity to Here", and couldn't wait for this book. He's such a good writer and explains better than almost anyone. There are enough good parts in this book to make the particle zoo part worth listening to.

There's one important theme that runs through the book that will make the book easier to understand. That is these five words: "not observed waves, observed particles". In the background of the universe is the Higgs field and it is the vibration of this field that gives particles their mass. The author explains this and relates it to possible solutions to dark matter and dark energy.

I'd rather have Sean Carroll's voice narrating

The book was great, I always like the way Sean Carroll explains a topic. Although the narrator was perfectly fine and easy to understand, I would have preferred mr. Carol voice as the narrator instead. The current narrator was a bit monotone and made it difficult to sit for too long listening to this.

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.

excellently written narrative

Science need not be opaque.and Sean Carroll's story shows how this is done. An insider carries us across the universe of physics leading to the Higgs boson and beyond. His honesty is refreshing.

Having some knowledge in quantum theory...

will definitely help to understand this explanation of the relevance of the discovery of the Higgs, but given that, the book is clear and renders a vivid conception of what the Higgs is, what it does and why it makes everything that we are and everything that surrounds us--possible.

HIGGS BOSON

Sean Carroll is a theoretical cosmologist and senior research associate at the Department of Physics at the California Institute of Technology. His most recent book is “The Particle at the End of the Universe” which is focused on the story of Higgs boson, the widely and incorrectly termed “god particle”, that may have recently been found by CERN with Large-Hadron-Collider’ experiments. (HIGGS BOSON PARTICLE CONFIRMED 7/4/2012.)

Carroll explains that experimental proofs of quantum mechanics are the reason Higgs boson, or something like it, must exist. That is why the discovery is so important. Higgs boson is the field in which known particles of the universe gain mass. Without Higgs boson or something that works like Higgs boson, life would not exist.

Carroll offers other insights—about symmetry, super-symmetry, and breaking symmetry. He touches on dark matter and string theory. All are interestingly presented.

In general, Carroll crystallizes the importance of theoretical and experimental science. When listeners finish “The Particle at the End of the Universe, they will understand why Higgs boson is a magnificent discovery and the LHC is worth a nine-billion-dollar investment.