by Kai Zuber, Institute of Physics. Hardback ISBN 0750307501, £80.00 ($125.00).
This excellent introduction to neutrino physics describes, in 14 chapters and more than 400 pages, the past, present and future experiments and essential developments in one of the most exciting fields of fundamental physics today. Ranging from “Important historical experiments” to “Neutrinos in cosmology”, it is perfect that this comprehensive overview on neutrino physics was published shortly after the Nobel Prize for Physics was awarded to two neutrino physicists, Raymond Davis and Masatoshi Koshiba, for their pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for the detection of cosmic neutrinos.
Neutrinos – first postulated in the 1930s and detected in 1956 by Clyde Cowan and Fred Reines – are one of the most fundamental particles in the universe, but they are also one of the least understood. The author, Kai Zuber from Oxford University, begins with some personally selected historical milestones and theoretical background. He then proceeds to give the fundamental properties of the neutrino, address the questions of neutrino mass, and looks at the place of the neutrino within and beyond the Standard Model. Zuber continues with a discussion of the role of neutrinos in modern astroparticle physics and ends with neutrinos in cosmology and the problem of dark matter, thus covering the full range of neutrino physics. It is remarkable that Zuber describes, over many chapters, not only neutrino experiments, detectors and spectrometers in operation, but also those that are at present under construction or planned, such as the KATRIN experiment and the neutrino factory.
The book ends with a summary and personal outlook, a comprehensive list of references and a detailed index. All of this helps the reader to enjoy a fascinatingly written overview of this exciting field of physics, where “you always have to expect the unexpected”. The only weak point is that some of the figures are of poor quality, making it difficult to see what is shown.
Neutrino Physics is a textbook at a level that is suitable for graduate students in physics and astrophysics. It can be highly recommended to anyone interested in this field, and to any advanced student who wants to learn more about this research topic and who needs to understand neutrino physics.
