Antimatter

Gordon Fraser

214 pages, parution le 15/03/2002

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Résumé

In 1928 the physicist Paul Dirac predicted the existence of antimatter in a mirror world, where the electrical charges on particles would be opposite to those of ordinary matter. This mirror world is found, fleetingly, at the quantum level, with positrons the counterpart of electrons, and antiprotons the opposite of protons. This book introduces the world of antimatter without using technical language or equations. The author shows how the quest for symmetry in physics slowly revealed the properties of antimatter. When large particle accelerators came on line, the antimatter debris of collisions provided new clues on its properties. This is a fast-paced and lucid account of how science fiction became fact.

Contents

Preface

1. Science fiction becomes science fact
2. Mirror worlds
3. An imbalanced kit of electrical parts
4. The quantum master
5. Positive proof
6. The back passage of time
7. The quark and the antiquark
8. Broken mirrors
9. The cosmic corkscrew
10. Antiparticle collision course
11. Setting a trap for antimatter
12. Glue versus antichemistry
13. Antimatter in action
14. Antimatter of the utmost gravity.

Names index
Subject index

Caractéristiques techniques

	PAPIER
Éditeur(s)	Cambridge University Press
Auteur(s)	Gordon Fraser
Parution	15/03/2002
Nb. de pages	214
Format	15 x 22,5
Couverture	Broché
Poids	389g
Intérieur	Noir et Blanc
EAN13	9780521893091
ISBN13	978-0-521-89309-1