Hunt for the “God Particle”

“Worth a read?” is not an ordinary book review; it is a meta-review, which provides an overview of the opinions contained in a variety of book reviews published in the media at large. This week’s meta-review is of “Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle”, written by Ian Sample and released in South Africa in June 2010, dealing with an experiment aimed at explaining the start of our world.

What’s it all about?

Beneath the border between France and Switzerland, about 175 metres underground, lies one of the largest and most expensive scientific instruments ever built. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) lies in a 27-kilometre circular tunnel complete with over 1,600 magnets – most weighing over 27 tonnes. More than 10,000 scientists and engineers from over 100 countries are involved, and what they all hope to find (among others) is proof of the existence of Higgs boson – often referred to as the God Particle.

In “Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle”, author Ian Sample takes the layperson through four decades of the history, successes and failures of the quest for Higgs boson. Beginning with an overview of the scientific background to the particle and the LHC, Sample explains how a handful of scientists spread around the globe asked one question simultaneously in the 1960s: Why do things have mass?

Among these scientists was Peter Higgs, the man after whom the elusive particle is named and a notorious recluse. Sample managed to secure an interview with him, granting him unprecedented access to Higgs’s notes, and private and personal life.

“Massive” is the story of intense rivalries, ambition, ego, culture, politics, and the importance of a multi-billion-dollar project that might change the way we understand the world.

Who’s the author?

Ian Sample was a feature writer for New Scientist and is currently a science correspondent at the Guardian newspaper. He was named Investigative Journalist of the Year in 2005 by the Association of British Science Writers, and he holds a PhD in biomedical science.

What do others say?

As is true for most science writing, the opinion of critics differs depending on whether they regard the book from a scientific or layperson’s perspective.

“Massive” is unlikely to provide any new insights into the science of Higgs boson and the LHC, with some even suggesting that Sample himself is unsure of exactly what the LHC is trying to prove – a worthwhile comment, but then again, even the LHC scientists don’t know what the results will be.

From a layperson’s perspective, “Massive” will provide a good overview of the science, but it is the personal stories that set this book apart and that give the reader some sense of the people whose lives are inextricably linked to perhaps one of the greatest scientific experiments yet.

The pace of the book has been said to wane towards the end, primarily because there is not yet a conclusion, and we do not yet know whether Higgs boson exists. But, the author maintains, whatever the result, it is bound to be massive.

Guardian.co.uk: ‘The book’s focus sometimes wanders, but we are kept hooked by its fine reportage, which makes clear the sheer achievement of the scientists and engineers who have built the LHC, the most complex machine ever made in the service of pure science.’

Popular Science: ‘The physics is skipped over in a very summary fashion – you get the impression the author doesn’t really understand it himself, and wants to get on to the people bits. This is exactly what happens in the second half [of the book] – and suddenly it’s a cracker. At this point what had been a slightly condescending book, in the manner of science being done for the plebs on TV news, now becomes a real page turner. The story of the race for bigger and better colliders and accelerators in the hunt for the fundamental particles that would explain the nature of matter is magnificently told.’

How do I get hold of it?

“Massive: The Hunt for the God Particle” is published by Ebury Press. It is available at Exclusive Books at a price of approximately R179.00.