• A compelling and lively one-volume introduction to the fundamental particles that make up the universe
• Forms a companion volume to Nuclear Physics: A Very Short Introduction by the same author
• Provides insights into how discoveries in particle physics have actually been made

New to this Edition:

• Fully updated to include the discovery of the Higgs Boson and its implications

   
Following the discovery of the Higgs boson, Frank Close has produced this major revision to his classic and compelling introduction to the fundamental particles that make up the universe. Frank Close takes us on a journey into the atom to examine known particles such as quarks, electrons, and the ghostly neutrino, and explains the key role and significance of the Higgs boson. Along the way he provides fascinating insights into how discoveries in particle physics have actually been made, and discusses how our picture of the world has been radically revised in the light of these developments. He concludes by looking ahead to new ideas about the mystery of antimatter and massive neutrinos, and to what the next 50 years of research might reveal about the nature of the Higgs field which moulds the fundamental particles and forces.