Symmetry and the Beautiful Universe

作者 Leon M. Lederman著
出版社 Prometheus Books
出版时间 2007年11月
ISBN 9781591025757
定价 161.00

内容简介

Whenscientistspeerthroughatelescopeatthedistantstarsinouterspaceoruseaparticle-acceleratortoanalyzethesmallestcomponentsofmatter,theydiscoverthatthesamelawsofphysicsgovernthewholeuniverseatalltimesandallplaces.Physicistscalltheeternal,ubiquitousconstancyofthelawsofphysicssymmetry.Symmetryisthebasicunderlyingprinciplethatdefinesthelawsofnatureandhencecontrolstheuniverse.Thisall-importantinsightisoneofthegreatconceptualbreakthroughsinmodernphysicsandisthebasisofcontemporaryeffortstodiscoveragrandunifiedtheorytoexplainallthelawsofphysics.NobelLaureateLeonM.LedermanandphysicistChristopherT.HillexplainthesupremelyelegantconceptofsymmetryandallitsprofoundramificationstolifeonEarthandtheuniverseatlargeinthiseloquent,accessiblepopularsciencebook.Theynotonlyclearlydescribeconceptsnormallyreservedonlyforphysicistsandmathematicians,buttheyalsoinstillanappreciationfortheprofoundbeautyoftheuniverse’sinherentdesign.Centraltothestoryofsymmetryisanobscure,unpretentious,butextremelygiftedGermanmathematiciannamedEmmyNoether.Thoughstilllittleknowntotheworld,sheimpressednolessascientistthanAlbertEinstein,whopraisedher"penetratingmathematicalthinking."Insomeofherearliestworksheprovedthatthelawoftheconservationofenergywasconnectedtotheideaofsymmetryandthuslaidthemathematicalgroundworkforwhatmaybethemostimportantconceptofmodernphysics.LedermanandHillrevealconceptsabouttheuniverse,basedonNoether’swork,thatarelargelyunknowntothepublicandhavewide-reachingimplicationsinconnectionwiththeBigBang,Einstein’stheoryofrelativity,quantummechanics,andmanyotherareasofphysics.Throughingeniousanalogiesandillustrations,theybringtheseastoundingnotionstolife.Thisbookwillopenyoureyestoauniverseyouneverknewexisted.

作者简介

LeonM.Lederman,NobelLaureate(Batavia,IL)istheauthorofBeyondtheGodParticle,QuantumPhysicsforPoets,andSymmetryandtheBeautifulUniverse(coauthoredwithChristopherT.Hill),aswellasTheGodParticle(withDickTeresi).HehasservedastheeditorofPortraitsofGreatAmericanScientistsandacontributortoScienceLiteracyfortheTwenty-FirstCentury.HeisformerlytheResidentScholarattheIllinoisMathematicsandScienceAcademyandPritzkerProfessorofScienceattheIllinoisInstituteofTechnology,andheisdirectoremeritusofFermiNationalAcceleratorLaboratory.ChristopherT.Hill,PhD(Batavia,IL)isthecoauthorwithLeonM.LedermanofBeyondtheGodParticle,QuantumPhysicsforPoets,andSymmetryandtheBeautifulUniverse.Heisatheoreticalphysicist(ScientistIII)andtheformerheadofTheoreticalPhysicsatFermiNationalAcceleratorLaboratory.

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