Overview

Housed in a tunnel 4 m in diameter and 27 km in circumference - built to a precision of 0.1mm per km - and integrated within a complex including huge underground labs and numerous surface facilities, the Large Electron-Positron Collider (LEP) in its time was not only the largest but also one of the most sophisticated scientific research instrument ever created by mankind . Located at CERN near Geneva, LEP was built in 1983-1989, was operational until 2000, and successfully corroborated the standard model of particle physics through continous high-precision measurements. The author, director-general of CERN in the crucial period of the making of LEP, recounts vividly the convoluted decision making and technical implementation process - the tunnel alone constituted a most challenging geological and civil engineering project - and the extremely fruitful period of scientific research right up to the difficult decision to close down LEP, even at a time where the discovery of the Higgs seemed within reach.L EP was then dismantled in 2000 and its tunnel reused for the building of the next generation machine, the much more powerful Large Hadron Collider (LHC) , which is becoming operational in the fall of 2008, during the final preparation of this book. Written by the main actor in charge of making LEP a reality, this is the definitive account of the great story of a machine and the many thousands of scientists and engineers involved.

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9783540893004

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Reviews

Aus den Rezensionen: ... In dem Buch kann man weiterhin viel uber den Aufbau und die Wirkungsweise der Experimente und uber die wichtigsten wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse erfahren. Das Buch ist allgemeinverstandlich geschrieben. Das Standardmodell der Elementarteilchenphysik, die Wirkungsweise eines Speicherrings und der Aufbau der Detektoren werden gut erklart. Besonders interessant sind auch die Ausfuhrungen, welche die Ausstrahlung des CERN in Politik, Wirtschaft und in das wissenschaftliche Umfeld schildern. (Erich Lohrmann, in: Physik Journal, February/2010, Vol. 9, Issue 2, S. 50)

From the reviews: ""Herwig Schopper's energy and vitality remain undimmed, even though he turned 85 this year ! . His book surveys the two decades of the Large Electron-Positron (LEP) collider, extending far beyond his own reign as CERN director-general in the years 1981-88. ! The Lord of the Collider Rings is a valuable addition to particle-physics literature but it is mainly written for insiders."" (Gordon Fraser, CERN Courier, Vol. 49 (9), November, 2009) ""Being a CERN director-general is not simply a case of being an expert in particle physics and accelerator design, as Herwig Schopper describes in The Lord of the Collider Rings at CERN: 1980--2000 ! . As lab boss for most of the 1980s, Schopper also needed to handle billion-dollar budgets, manage rival teams of ambitious researchers, and deal with politicians ! . the book will be essential material for professional historians looking back on CERN's golden years."" (Physics World, March, 2010)

From the reviews: Herwig Schopper's energy and vitality remain undimmed, even though he turned 85 this year ! . His book surveys the two decades of the Large Electron-Positron (LEP) collider, extending far beyond his own reign as CERN director-general in the years 1981-88. ! The Lord of the Collider Rings is a valuable addition to particle-physics literature but it is mainly written for insiders. (Gordon Fraser, CERN Courier, Vol. 49 (9), November, 2009) Being a CERN director-general is not simply a case of being an expert in particle physics and accelerator design, as Herwig Schopper describes in The Lord of the Collider Rings at CERN: 1980--2000 ! . As lab boss for most of the 1980s, Schopper also needed to handle billion-dollar budgets, manage rival teams of ambitious researchers, and deal with politicians ! . the book will be essential material for professional historians looking back on CERN's golden years. (Physics World, March, 2010)

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