Praise
“[A] thoroughly researched and well-crafted narrative…. [Close] focuses on the triumphs and failures of the physicists behind the equations, providing a realistic view of how theoretical physics really progresses – the all-too-human endeavor fraught with personal ambitions, rivalries, alliances, errors and plain historical accident…. It’s refreshing to read a popular physics book that doesn’t revisit the same well-trodden ground of so many before it.”—New Scientist
“[A] fascinating book…. [A]compelling history and sociology of modern particle theory. We discover the motivations and achievements of a rich cast of brilliant individuals, and get enough of the science to grasp what they were trying to do. Where Close really shines is in exposing the fraught process of recognition in science…. Close’s history of the field is engaging and gives insight into how great theories are created.”—Nature
“[Close’s] presentation lucidly acquaints readers with physicists’ quest for the Higgs boson (theorized to cause mass) that Europe’s Large Hadron Collider was built to find.”—Booklist
“Close chronicles the search for the elusive Higgs Boson particle (the ‘God Particle’)…. Throughout, the author chronicles the winners and losers in the annual Nobel sweepstakes,giving them recognition for their achievements and providing a lively thread for readers.”—Kirkus Reviews
“[A] masterpiece…. Close has done his homework thoroughly, interviewing just about all the protagonists that are still alive and going back to original source material for his facts, which often contradict the memories of even the most reliable of those survivors…. This book is essential reading – I never normally give five stars, but for this I’ll make an exception.”—John Gribbin, BBC Focus
“It is a pleasure to read a book on recent advances in our understanding of the structure of matter by an author who not only understands the subject but also takes care to investigate conflicting accounts of how these advances came about.”
—Peter Higgs, Emeritus Professor of Physics, The University of Edinburgh
“Able to deftly explain abstruse quantum field theory to a lay reader, Frank Close is a rarity among physicists. Rarer still, he knows how to weave a compelling tale—that of the‘infinity problem,’ which has bedeviled the field of quantum electrodynamics and subsequent attempts to unify the forces of nature. The result is a great scientific whodunit, replete with a large, engaging cast of characters,behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and unexpected twists and turns. Here is proof that Close belongs among the very first rank of scientist-authors. I strongly recommend The Infinity Puzzle.”—Steve Nadis, coauthor of The Shape of Inner Space
“The development of quantum field theory is among the very greatest achievements of humankind, on par with those of Einstein, Newton and Darwin. Frank Close introduces these difficult ideas with a rare clarity and simplicity. Anyone who wants to understand why we built the LHC and what we hope to learn from it should read this book.”—Dan Hooper, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and University of Chicago; author of Dark Cosmos and Nature’s Blueprint