Alvarez: Adventures of a Physicist

by Luis W. Alvarez

Overview

During World War II, Luis W. Alvarez participated in the Allies' development of radar at the MIT Radiation Laboratory, and of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos. He then worked as an experimental physicist on cyclotrons, particle accelerators and bubble chambers at UC-Berkeley with Ernest Lawrence. Later in life, he used cosmic rays to "X ray" an Egyptian pyramid, developed a new theory about the extinction of the dinosaurs, and won the 1968 Nobel prize in physics for his work on elementary particles. In this autobiography, Alvarez shares insights on the process of scientific discovery, risk-taking in science and how theoretical and experimental physics interact.

"[A] delightful autobiography... [A] fascinating book... It should be read by everyone who is interested in science and adventure, or who just wants to meet one of our most fascinating contemporaries." -- James Trefil, New York Times Book Review

"Beyond its self-portrait, Alvarez provides an exceptionally clear view of the world of science." -- Alan Lightman, Washington Post Book World

"This is a richly absorbing autobiography... Personally as well as scientifically forthright and plainspoken, [Alvarez] holds the reader with the story of his life as a scientist, much of the time at Berkeley, Calif., working with such men as Robert Oppenheimer, Ernest Lawrence and Enrico Fermi." -- Publishers Weekly

"A gripping book. It succeeds well in making the scientific experience and the excitement of discovery accessible to the general reader." -- Richard L. Garwin, Physics Today

"A fascinating life." -- Elena Brunet, Los Angeles Times

"One of the best popular books on science to emerge from the laboratory in years." -- Henry Kisor, Chicago Sun-Times

"Luis W. Alvarez has an unsurpassed reputation among scientists for a lifelong record of crucial participation in important discoveries in pure and applied science. In this book he performs an additional service by revealing his thought processes." -- Philip Abelson, Science Advisor, American Association for the Advancement of Science

Product Details

BN ID:	2940158735875
Publisher:	Plunkett Lake Press
Publication date:	09/20/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Born in San Francisco, Luis W. Alvarez (1911-1988) became an experimental physicist after receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1936 under Arthur Compton. He joined Ernest Lawrence’s Radiation Laboratory at UC-Berkeley in 1936. There, he devised experiments to observe K-electron capture in radioactive nuclei, used the cyclotron to produce tritium and measure its lifetime, and measured the magnetic moment of the neutron. He taught physics at UC-Berkeley where he became Emeritus Professor of Physics.

While working at MIT’s Radiation Laboratory in 1940-43, Alvarez developed what is now the ground-controlled approach (GCA) system for aircraft. He also worked at the Metallurgical Laboratory of the University of Chicago in 1943-44, and at Los Alamos on the Manhattan project in 1944-45. Alvarez won the Nobel prize in 1968 for his work developing liquid hydrogen bubble chambers that allowed scientists to take millions of photographs of particle interactions, to develop complex computer systems to measure and analyze these interactions, and to discover entire families of new particles.

Alvarez was involved in a project to “X-ray” Egyptian pyramids to search for unknown chambers. With his son, geologist Walter Alvarez, he developed the Alvarez hypothesis, which proposes that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.