Physicist Suzie Sheehy’s book looks at the history of physics from the perspective of the physicists responsible for the design and construction of some of mankind’s most important experiments.
The characterisation of the electron and how this led to the Fleming Valve and the era of electronics demonstrates the value of pure research and how it can lead to unexpected societal and technological benefits.
Robert Millikan’s diligent efforts to understand and describe the particle nature of light and the Photoelectric effect proposed by Albert Einstein show that scientific advancement isn’t always a “Eureka!” but rather can be a long diligent grind to eliminate experimental issues and create new instruments from scratch to seek out subtle effects.
Charles CTR Wilson’s work to use a cloud chamber to learn about cosmic rays and how other physicists came up with other detectors containing meta-stable materials in order to detect more subtle particles is described in an engaging way. The discovery of positrons and other forms of antimatter is explained as well as other subatomic particles such as Muons and Pions.
Sheehy shows that the “Matilda Effect” of women scientists not being properly recognised for their efforts has been a very real issue and mentions many amazing female physicists and scientists who should be more acclaimed than they have been.
Suzie Sheehy’s professional speciality is particle accelerators. She gives excellent explanations of their technological evolution from Cyclotron to Betatron, Synchroton and beyond.
The Cross-disciplinary nature of science and how it can lead to tremendous benefits in seemingly unrelated fields is explored at length. How Synchotrons have been used for chemistry via x-ray crystallography enabling diagnostic analysis very relevant to all of us, including the precise definition of Covid protein structures. This was a key factor in enabling vaccine synthesis. The chapters where medical imaging and medical therapy devices powered by particle accelerators were fascinating. Not only because of the tech, but also the care taken by the designers to hide as much of the incredibly powerful equipment from the patient so as to minimise their anxiety at what is a stressful time. Some of the machines are so large that they dwarf the patient. Others, through the miracle of scientific artifice, are small enough to fit within the armature suspended over the slab where the patient lies.
Who knew that there was a machine called a gamma knife – and that it can be used in tissue deep within the brain that would otherwise be inoperable – or have life-altering consequences on a patients ability to function.
This book describes an important facet of our era of megascience. The engineering, programme management, governance, and international scientific collaboration required to answer the ‘big questions’ is writ large.
This particular edition of the book had a strange cover and could easily have been mistaken as ‘chick lit’. Maybe that was the intent and was done tongue in cheek. This book is anything but trivial, and well worth the time for anyone interested in the past and future of scientific discovery.