The Neutrino Hunters: The Chase For The Ghost Particle And The Secrets Of The Universe

Description

Before the Higgs boson, there was a maddening search for another particle that holds the secrets of the universe - the neutrino. First detected in 1956, it teased the answers to still more mysteries. How did the Big Bang happen? Why is antimatter so rare? What might 'dark matter' be made of? And could faster-than light travel be possible, overturning Einstein's theory of special relativity? But the hunt for the neutrino and its meaning has also involved adventures, from Cold War defections and extra dimensions to mile-deep holes in the Antarctic ice and a troubled genius who disappeared without a trace. Renowned astrophysicist and award-winning science writer Ray Jayawardhana delivers a thrilling detective story of revolutionary science from the dawn of the quantum age to today's most inventive labs.

Author description

Ray Jayawardhana is a professor and Canada Research Chair in Observational Astrophysics at the University of Toronto. Originally from Sri Lanka, he holds a PhD from Harvard University and in 2012 he was awarded a coveted Radcliffe Fellowship there. His discoveries have been published in leading scientific journals and have made headlines worldwide, including in The Times, The Economist, Sydney Morning Herald, and BBC News. He writes regularly for New Scientist, Times Higher Education, and others, and is the author of Strange New Worlds.