Oxford University Press announces an immediate publication following the announcement by the Director of CERN on 4 July that a new particle has been discovered that is consistent with the predicted Standard Model Higgs boson.
Bestselling science author Jim Baggott (The Quantum Story, OUP) explains exactly what has been discovered, how it was predicted, and the implications. Written over the past 18 months, and finalized once the announcement had been made, Higgs: The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' makes the science superbly accessible.
Jim Baggott commented: 'I had the idea for a book about the discovery of the Higgs boson in March 2010, just as CERN's Large Hadron Collider was setting a new world record for particle collision energy. I figured that there was a chance that this particle - the last missing piece in the jigsaw of the Standard Model of particle physics – might be discovered soon. But the question was: How soon? Finally, on 4 July 2012, CERN announced the discovery of a new boson, one that is consistent with the standard model Higgs. This new book is timely, coming only 6 weeks after the announcement. But, for me personally and for the team at Oxford University Press, it has been a long time coming.'
Available for sale from 13 August in print (and e-book format) at £14.99 in hardback.
Jim Baggott is a freelance science writer. He was a lecturer in chemistry at the University of Reading but left to pursue a business career, where he first worked with Shell International Petroleum Company and then as an independent business consultant and trainer.