The first edition of Engines of Discovery celebrated in words, images and anecdotes the accelerators and their constructors that culminated in the discovery of the Higgs boson. But even before the Higgs was discovered, before the champagne corks popped and while the television producers brushed up their quantum mechanics, a new wave of enthusiasm for accelerators to be applied for more practical purposes was gaining momentum. Almost all fields of human endeavour will be enhanced by this trend: energy conservation, medical diagnostics and treatment, national security, as well as industrial processing. Accelerators have been used most spectacularly to reveal the structure of the complex molecules that determine our metabolism and life. For every accelerator chasing the Higgs, there are now ten thousand serving other purposes. It is high time to move from abstract mathematics and philosophy to the practical needs of humankind.
It is the aim of this revised and expanded edition to describe this revolution in a manner which will attract the young, not only to apply their curiosity to the building blocks of matter but to help them contribute to the improvement of the quality of life itself on this planet. As always, the authors have tried to avoid lengthy mathematical description. In describing a field which reaches out to almost all of today's cutting edge technology, some detailed explanation cannot be avoided but this has been confined to sidebars. References guide experts to move on to the journal Reviews of Accelerator Science and Technology and other publications for more information. But first we would urge every young physicist, teacher, journalist and politician to read this book.
Sample Chapter(s)
Introduction (531 KB)
Chapter 1: Electrostatic Accelerators (544 KB)
Contents:
- Electrostatic Accelerators
- Cyclotrons
- Linear Accelerators
- Betatrons
- Synchrotrons
- Colliders
- Neutrino Super Beams, Neutrino Factories and Muon Colliders
- Detectors
- High-Energy and Nuclear Physics
- Synchrotron Radiation Sources
- Isotope Production and Cancer Therapy Accelerators
- Spallation Neutron Sources
- Accelerators in Industry and Elsewhere
- National Security
- Energy and the Environment
- A Final Word — Mainly to the Young
Readership: Scientists, research physicists, engineers and administrators at accelerator laboratories; general readers; undergraduates and graduates in physics, electrical engineering and the history of science.
“This updated edition of Engines of Discovery convincingly demonstrates that ‘a century of particle accelerators’ is still progressing, and the history of these ingenious machines will span centuries. A fascinating story of inventions and breakthroughs, presented to us by two prominent scientists, takes the reader through a mesmerising gallery of revolutionary developments in accelerator science and technology. The book is a wonderful source of inspiration and will be a great companion to the young and curious who, undoubtedly, will be the ones to make new breakthroughs and new discoveries in the future.”
Professor Andrei A Seryi
Director, John Adams Institute for Accelerator Science
University of Oxford, Royal Holloway University of London and Imperial College London
“Andrew Sessler's and Edmund Wilson's history of accelerators is a rich tapestry illustrating an intellectual adventure story with its own heroes, dramas, competitions, and even missteps and a few villains. They explain the imaginative physical and engineering insights that accelerator pioneers have employed to make modern accelerators engines of commerce and engines of well being as well as the quintessential engines of discovery. They describe this human enterprise in language that is easily accessible to the layman. Their book is lavishly illustrated with photographs of ground-breaking machines and their applications from the dawn of the accelerator age to the present.”
William A Barletta
USPAS Director
Adjunct Professor of Physics, MIT & UCLA
Visiting Professor of Economics, Univ. of Ljubljana
“Accelerators have become essential tools in many areas of research, ranging from medicine through biology, chemistry and physics to archaeology. They also play vital roles in medicine and industry. Sessler and Wilson's wide-ranging history of the development of accelerators and their uses will appeal to everyone with an interest in how science and technology progress. They provide an insiders' perspective, illustrated by a wealth of anecdotes and sketches of engineers and scientists who have advanced the state of the art. Their book will enlighten and entertain experts as well as general readers.”
Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith FRS
Director of Energy Research Oxford University
President of the Council of SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East), and
Director General of CERN (1994–98)
“In this revised edition of Engines of Discovery, the authors have substantially expanded their text on accelerators. From principles to applications reaching deep into the specialized fields involving dedicated accelerators, the book describes the history and the state of the art of accelerator-based facilities used by experimental scientists worldwide. In particular the applications of accelerators in research and industry, medicine and security systems highlight the important role of accelerators and their vast impact on our daily life.”
Norbert Holtkamp
Associate Laboratory Director, Accelerator Directorate
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford
“This book will stand as part of Andrew Sessler's legacy to future generations. The hope is that it will inspire budding young scientists and engineers today, for they are the future of the field.”
Christine Sutton
CERN
“In conclusion, the book offers a very pleasant trip in the world of accelerators and applications, putting particular emphasis on the facilities designed and realized to give answers to common life questions.”
Il Nuovo Saggiatore
