Praxis Archives – Page 129 of 179

Lattice Gauge Theories: An Introduction, 3rd edition

by Heinz J Rothe, World Scientific. Hardback ISBN 9812560629 £51 ($84). Paperback ISBN 9812561684 £29 ($48).

This broad introduction to lattice gauge field theories, in particular quantum chromodynamics, serves as a textbook for advanced graduate students, and also provides the reader with the necessary analytical and numerical techniques to carry out research. Although the analytic calculations can be demanding, they are discussed in sufficient detail that the reader can fill in the missing steps. The book also introduces problems currently under investigation and emphasizes numerical results from pioneering work.

Field Theory, the Renormalization Group and Critical Phenomena: Graphs to Computers, 3rd edition

by Daniel J Amit and Victor Martín-Mayor, World Scientific. Hardback ISBN 9812561099 £52 ($86). Paperback ISBN 9812561196 £27 ($44).

Linking field-theory methods and concepts from particle physics with those in critical phenomena and statistical mechanics, this book starts from the latter point of view. In this way, it introduces quantum field theory to those already grounded in the concepts of statistical mechanics and advanced quantum theory. Non-perturbative methods and numerical simulations are introduced in this third edition, with new chapters on real-space methods, finite size scaling, Monte Carlo methods and numerical field theory. There are sufficient exercises in each chapter for use as a textbook in a one-semester graduate course.

300 questions à un astronome

de Anton Vos, Presses Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes. Broché ISBN 2880746566, €26.

Comment l’eau est-elle apparue sur Terre? Peut-on voyager dans le temps? Est-il possible de créer un trou noir en laboratoire? Voici quelques-unes des 300 questions qui apparaissent dans ce livre.

Comme on peur le lire dans l’avant-propos, le livre est né sur l’Internet, sur le site de l’Observatoire astronomique de l’Université de Genève. Un espace y avait été ouvert pour que les internautes posent directement leurs questions aux astronomes. A partir de ces questions/réponses, Anton Vos, journaliste scientifique a réalisé cet ouvrage. Ces deux aspects apparaissent très clairement dans le livre. Les questions sont très directes et pratiques, une caractéristique typique des sites où le public est invité à intervenir. D’autre part, un énorme travail de journaliste a été réalisé pour simplifier le contenu, ce qui rend la lecture très agréable.

Avant de lire le livre, j’ai formulé une question dans ma tête pour vérifier que l’ouvrage contenait vraiment “tout ce que vous avez toujours voulu savoir sur l’astronomie”, comme la quatrième de couverture l’annonçait. J’ai trouvé ma question ainsi qu’une réponse pertinente.

Pour conclure, la structure du livre se prête à des approches de lecture différentes: on peut le picorer ou le lire de bout en bout, sans que la compréhension s’en ressente. De quelque manière que vous le lisiez, vous aurez appris beaucoup de choses sur l’astronomie et sans trop de difficultés.

Chern-Simons Theory, Matrix Models, and Topological Strings

by Marcos Mariño, Oxford University Press. Hardback ISBN 0198568495 £49.50.

One of the most important examples of string theory/gauge theory correspondence relates Chern-Simons theory – a topological gauge theory in three dimensions that describes knot and three-manifold invariants – to topological string theory. This book gives the first coherent presentation of this and other related topics. After an introduction to matrix models and Chern-Simons theory, it describes the topological string theories that correspond to these gauge theories and develops the mathematical implications of this duality for the enumerative geometry of Calabi-Yau manifolds and knot theory. It will be useful reading for graduate students and researchers in both mathematics and physics.

Quand le Ciel nous bombarde: Qu’est-ce que les rayons cosmiques?

de Michel Crozon, Editions Vuibert. Broché ISBN 2711771539, €28.

Sous un titre évocateur des grandes offensives aériennes des années quarante, voici un nouveau compendium du rayonnement cosmique. Ces corpuscules naturellement accélérés depuis le fin fond de l’univers jusqu’à des énergies susceptibles de faire pâlir d’envie le physicien moderne, ont été mis en évidence voici bientôt un siècle grâce aux pacifiques ballons de l’Autrichien Viktor Hess.

Plus tard une foule d’autres pionniers tels que Robert Millikan et Carl Anderson traquèrent le mystérieux rayonnement. Ils furent suivis en Europe par Pierre Auger et Louis Leprince-Ringuet avec son école du Pic du Midi de Bigorre, lesquels ne tardèrent pas à se tourner vers l’exploitation des appareillages d’un CERN pas encore adulte. Aujourd’hui la chasse aux rayons cosmiques dispose de vastes installations de détection comparables de par leur ampleur à celles ceinturant le futur accélérateur européen LHC. Implantés dans les entrailles du globe, sous les glaces du Pole Sud, en Méditerranée, voire en de profondes mines, ces instruments tentent d’expliquer l’origine de corpuscules extra-galactiques dont l’énergie peut frôler les 1020 électronvolts.

L’ouvrage survole l’essentiel des expériences réalisées avant et depuis la guerre afin de mieux connaître ces messagers célestes. Au fil de 240 pages bien illustrées, l’auteur situe cette expérimentation dans le contexte des développements de la physique corpusculaire. Son approche n’en demeure cependant pas liée aux seuls développements théoriques. Elle décrit aussi l’outillage de plus en plus perfectionné mis en œuvre: émulsions, compteurs Geiger-Müller, ballons, chambres à brouillard ou à bulles, détecteurs souterrains ou sondes embarquées sur satellites.

L’auteur qualifie son travail d’ouvrage de vulgarisation. Toutefois, à destination du lecteur plus féru de détails technico-scientifiques, l’usage de caractères d’imprimerie différents permet occasionnellement de passer à un registre plus avancé. Le livre ne manque d’ailleurs pas d’autres atouts, à commencer par une table des matières commodément située en début de volume, et un lexique bien charpenté. En contrepartie il faut se satisfaire de quelques inconvénients tels que la sempiternelle orthographe d’électronvolt en deux mots ou, moins mineure, l’absence d’index.

En bref, le lecteur avide de science et désireux de mieux cerner la physique des corpuscules de hautes énergies pourra assouvir sa curiosité grâce à cette incursion dans le royaume de la plus gigantesque des machine accélératrices de particules: l’univers lui-même.

Co-operation agreement strengthens CERN’s links with Cyprus

On 14 February, the minister of finance of the Republic of Cyprus, Michalis Sarris, visited CERN, accompanied by a distinguished delegation, including Christos Schizas, the vice-rector of the University of Cyprus, Costas Kounnas of Ecole Normale and Panos Razis of the University of Cyprus. During the visit, Sarris and CERN’s director-general, Robert Aymar, signed a co-operation agreement.

CCEnew4_04-06 — The high-energy physics team of the University of Cyprus, with head of the group, Panos Razis, standing second from left.

The new agreement provides the framework for strengthening the scientific and technical co-operation between CERN and Cyprus, giving the opportunity for scientists from Cypriot institutes to participate in CERN’s scientific programme in experimental high-energy physics, theoretical physics, information technology and accelerator development. In addition, university students and professionals will be able to take part in training and educational programmes, as well as in jointly organized workshops and conferences.

Cyprus was already an active member of the L3 experiment at the Large Electron-
Positron collider, when it joined the CMS collaboration in 1995, preparing for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A memorandum of understanding was signed in 1999.

In work for CMS, the Cypriot high-energy physics group joined a consortium with responsibility for manufacturing the barrel yoke and the vacuum tank of the CMS solenoid. Construction of both systems is now complete. In addition, members of the Cypriot team have also developed specialized equipment for performing control and calibration tests of the “very front-end” electronic boards of the CMS calorimeter. The groups from Cyprus are also currently seeking an upgrade of their high-performance computer clusters for Monte Carlo simulation and analysis of LHC data, as a valuable component of the Grid initiative.

The co-operation agreement between CERN and Cyprus will soon be followed by the signing of the corresponding protocols, upgrading the scientific and technical links in the areas of experimental and theoretical particle physics, high-performance computing and applications, and other projects subject to prior formal agreement between Cyprus and CERN.

Trieste seeks participants for new fourth-generation light source

Sincrotrone Trieste has announced a call for letters of intent to participate in developing and using a new fourth-generation light source, FERMI@Elettra, operating alongside the present ELETTRA source near Trieste. The FERMI@Elettra source will be added to the existing 2.0-2.4 GeV synchrotron and will be one of the first single-pass free-electron laser (FEL) facilities in the world.

CCEnew7_04-06 — The ELETTRA laboratory, indicating the proposed extensions for FERMI@Elettra.

FERMI@Elettra will operate in harmonic generation mode at wavelengths in the UV to soft X-ray range. It will initially have two FELs covering the wavelength ranges of 100-40 nm and 40-10 nm. The existing ELETTRA linac will be extended with a new 70 m long klystron gallery; a 65 m shielded undulator hall and a new experimental hall with eight beamlines will also be added. Support laboratories will be built at the end of the chain. The technical design study has been completed, the commissioning of the new booster is planned for summer 2007 and the two FELs are expected to be operational by the end of 2009.

ELETTRA, which is managed by the non-profit organization Sincrotrone Trieste, currently has more than 800 users a year; 86% are from European countries, working on research in physics, chemistry, earth science, material and life science. Proposals for FERMI@Elettra should be submitted before 30 April. Proponents selected by the international advisors will be involved in developing the scientific-exploitation programme (beam lines, end stations and Ramp;D projects), to be defined by the end of 2006.

What is the Electron?

by Volodimir Simulik (ed.), Apeiron. Paperback ISBN 0973291125, $25.

This collection brings together works by a number of authors, with the main purpose of presenting original papers containing new ideas about the electron. It thus provides different points of view on the electron, both within the framework of quantum theory and from competing approaches. Original modern models and hypotheses, based on new principles, are well represented. More than 10 different models of the electron are presented, and more than 20 models discussed briefly.

Accelerator Physics 2nd edition

by S Y Lee, World Scientific. Hardback ISBN 981256182X, £51 ($84). Paperback ISBN 9812562001, £27 ($44).

Intended for use as a graduate or senior undergraduate text in accelerator physics and science, this book can also be used as preparatory material for graduate accelerator-physics students. The text covers historical accelerator development, transverse betatron motion, synchrotron motion, an introduction to linear accelerators, and synchrotron radiation phenomena in low emittance electron-storage rings, and introductions to special topics such as the free-electron laser and the beam-beam interaction. Each section is followed by exercises to reinforce the concept discussed and to solve a realistic accelerator design problem.

Fisica, Tecnologia, Economia (Physics, Technology, Economy)

by Elisabetta Durante (ed.), the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN). Available from Presidenza INFN, Piazza dei Caprettari, 70 – 00186 Roma.

This booklet is a collection of articles published in one of Italy’s most important newspapers, Il Sole 24 Ore @lfa, to celebrate the World Year of Physics in 2005. The authors are researchers and professors from INFN, the body that funds a major part of particle-physics research in Italy. Throughout the book, it is interesting to see the effort made to show how many important applications of particle physics there are in everyday life, and the strong links that exist between the complicated machines that serve this kind of research and the technological objects that we use every day.

The language is simple, the articles are short and, in my opinion, accessible to the lay public. For example, natural radioactivity is mentioned alongside archaeological lead in order to explain the basic functioning of the Cuoricino experiment in the Gran Sasso Laboratory. Each article about current theory and experiments is followed by a spotlight on the application that has resulted from the research.

Two sentences in the book are particularly striking: the first sentence of all, which states “Physics has already understood all the easy things,” and the last one, which reads “Young researchers who have experienced laboratories such as CERN are the best example of an effective technology transfer.” I am not sure about what can be defined as “easy to understand” in physics but I do agree with the importance of sharing knowledge and how much this is done in international laboratories such as CERN.

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