Waves in an Impossible Sea

January 22, 2024
Harvard University theoretical physicist Strassler debuts with a mind-bending investigation of “how the most esoteric-seeming physics affects every aspect of human existence.” Examining what makes mass possible, Strassler explains that though atoms are mostly “empty space,” humans “don’t sink through the Earth” because “two atoms cannot occupy the same space without the addition of a lot of energy.” The author devotes much of the volume to correcting oversimplifications of physics concepts, as when he notes that the common description of protons as “made merely of two up quarks and one down quark” is an “antiquated idea from the 1960s,” with more recent research revealing that protons also contain “strange quarks,” anti-quarks, and gluons, the latter of which help draw the proton’s particles together. Strassler strives to make the physics accessible through the use of helpful analogies (“Whereas atoms are elegant ballrooms, protons are chaotic dance floors,” he writes, emphasizing the energy and movement of protons’ constituent particles), but the nuanced discussions are still difficult to follow for anyone without a background in the subject (indirect interactions between Higgs and electromagnetic fields, Strassler observes, “rely on the quantum uncertainty of the top quark field and are possible only in a universe with a cosmic certainty limit”). This is tough going, but the enlightening science is worth the effort. Agent: Toby Mundy, Aevitas Creative Management.

Starred review from January 15, 2024
An overview of the universe from neutrinos to gravity. Theoretical physicist and blogger Strassler, who often works with the Large Hadron Collider, assures readers that they'll encounter few equations in his book, and he provides the painful truth that many concepts in physics (mass, photons, quarks) are not as simple as they may seem. Faced with a layperson's question, a physicist often must choose between giving a simple, memorable, but wrong answer and giving a correct but incomprehensible one. The author calls these wrong answers fibs or "phibs," which "are mostly harmless and...quickly forgotten." Some, however, cause more harm than good. Most readers understand that such exceedingly difficult concepts as quantum phenomena and the Higgs field lend themselves to phibbing. Provided readers pay attention, Strassler is a competent guide to complex topics, but most impressive is his approach to simpler concepts--mass, energy, light--where observation and common sense have been misleading. For thousands of years, people believed that objects moved when pushed or pulled; otherwise, they didn't. Everything on Earth seemed to behave this way, but the sun, moon, stars, and planets seemed to move eternally, which led many to believe the heavens must be a different realm, perhaps under divine influence. Strassler provides the correct explanation: Newton's. Many basic phenomena defy reason: Empty space contains stuff; time can change, depending on where you are and how you move; light always travels away at the speed of light no matter how fast you chase it. Popular physics books begin with familiar phenomena and proceed to areas that physicists themselves find difficult. Strassler is an imaginative thinker and a capable writer, but late in the text, readers may find themselves struggling. The author suggests reading some sections more than once, so even science buffs will have to concentrate. A fine introduction to the cosmos for attentive readers.

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March 1, 2024
Although we know that much of the universe is made of matter (dark matter) and energy (dark energy) that humans do not yet fully understand, there is that sticky question of what gives the things that have the kind of mass that we do understand their substance. Another way of asking the question is how can we, and everything else, be here? Inquiries into the nature of mass are challenging even for the greatest of physicists. But in this illuminating book, theoretical physicist and writer Strassler explores the answers and delivers a deep understanding of the Higgs boson and the Higgs field, the field that, as he says, "stiffens all the other known stiff fields." Without it, the universe as we currently understand it would cease to exist. In order to fully comprehend the Higgs field, Strassler delivers a comprehensive background in a reader-friendly and enjoyable review of mass, energy, waves, fields, and quantum mechanics. Along the way, he poses such mind-boggling questions as what happens if the Higgs field even slightly strengthens or weakens?

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.