#Book #Review: "From #Photons to #Higgs. A Story of #Light"
I have to contradict myself almost immediately, publishing the review of a book that does not match very well with the "Astrophysics, Astronomy and Astrometry" themes of this blog. Apologies for this, but this great book is worth this little bending of the rules.
From Photons to Higgs. A Story of Light (2nd Edition)
by Moo-Young Han
World Scientific, 2014
"Quantum field theory", "Quantization" (be it "Canonical", "First", or "Second"), "Gauge field theory", "Spontaneous symmetry break". These are some of the almost magical spells that university students usually learn to love or to hate. Those who choose a specialization in particle physics surely learn to use them. Those who choose another field usually do not learn anything about them. Unfortunately, in one case or the other, it is quite difficult to simply "learn" them, in the sense of truly understanding their origin and meaning as physical models. This is the explicit goal of the author of this remarkable book.
The author, recently deceased (in 2016), was not only a renowned physicist but also one of the most important characters in the history of the development of the theoretical particle physics. Together with Yoichiro Nambu, in fact, he introduced in 1964 the Color SU(3) symmetry, which is the basis of the current model of the strong interaction, the Quantum Chromodynamics. Moreover, he also received the highest teaching awards.
With such credentials, it is not surprising to find that the result is so pleasing to read and at the same time so understandable, providing the reader with a bright clear explanation of this difficult subject.
It is hard to choose the greatest among the many achievements of this work, but just to mention a few I would stress on the following.
The book is conceived for an audience of physics students and of physicists who are not specialized in the field of particle physics. It does not indulge into overarching mathematical details, but at the same time, the subject is presented in rigorous terms.
I am sure that the reader will find this "Story of light" truly "enlightening"!
From Photons to Higgs. A Story of Light (2nd Edition)
by Moo-Young Han
World Scientific, 2014
The author, recently deceased (in 2016), was not only a renowned physicist but also one of the most important characters in the history of the development of the theoretical particle physics. Together with Yoichiro Nambu, in fact, he introduced in 1964 the Color SU(3) symmetry, which is the basis of the current model of the strong interaction, the Quantum Chromodynamics. Moreover, he also received the highest teaching awards.
With such credentials, it is not surprising to find that the result is so pleasing to read and at the same time so understandable, providing the reader with a bright clear explanation of this difficult subject.
It is hard to choose the greatest among the many achievements of this work, but just to mention a few I would stress on the following.
- Its perfectly succeeded explanation of the mathematical roots of quantum field theory.
- The bright-clear explanation of the wave-particle duality.
- The subsequent origin of the quantization processes and theories as evolutions of the electromagnetic theory.
The book is conceived for an audience of physics students and of physicists who are not specialized in the field of particle physics. It does not indulge into overarching mathematical details, but at the same time, the subject is presented in rigorous terms.
I am sure that the reader will find this "Story of light" truly "enlightening"!
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