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"You believe in a dice-playing God and I in perfect laws in the world of things existing as real objects." Albert Einstein Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 Proem If in the development of a scientific theory an error is made, further errors will necessarily follow. Each new identification generally assumes the correctness of the theory developed up to that point. If the partial theory is incorrect, any extension will operate to perpetuate its errors, and in the process will generate additional and more extensive errors. Unless the initial error is corrected, the consequence is an endless series of errors piled...

Physicists find 'rebel' particle By Dr David Whitehouse BBC News Online science editor Physicists have found a new subatomic particle, named Ds (2317). It will help them better understand the building blocks of matter. Inside the BaBar detector The particle consists of an unusual combination of more fundamental particles - quarks. Two quarks form Ds (2317) and, curiously, its properties are not what theory predicted. The announcement was made by physicist Antimo Palano to a packed auditorium at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (Slac) in the US. The discovery was made by the BaBar international consortium, which operates a...

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2002 August 6 Muon Wobble Possible Door to Supersymmetric Universe Credit: R. Bowman, g-2 Collaboration, BNL, DOE Explanation: How fast do fundamental particles wobble? A surprising answer to this seemingly inconsequential question is coming out of Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, USA and may not only that indicate that the Standard Model of Particle Physics is incomplete but also that our universe is filled with a previously...

Nuclear Space Cruiser BY JIM WILSON Ideas for using nuclear-fuel-powered interplanetary spacecraft have stirred the imaginations of designers outside of NASA. Perhaps the most ambitious plan has been offered by Fred Roth. A Florida resident, Roth has spent five years attempting to interest the Pentagon in building his massive Nuclear Space Cruiser, to protect the planet from errant asteroids and unforeseen threats. Roth's cruiser (design plans shown at right) would resemble a flattened child's top. Assembled in space, it would stand 650 ft. tall and have a 9000-ft. circumference. The massive interior is needed, he says, to house a nuclear...

The BigonAlbert Manque is a physicist of the old school. "Fifty years ago physicists could make experiments using material from the hardware store," says Manque, who works at the Centre de l'Etude des Choses Assez Minuscules in Paris. "I too prefer to work on a small scale." His penchant for tabletop research recently paid off. He and a colleague at the center have discovered an extraordinary new fundamental particle. Although the particle exists for just millionths of a second, it is the size of a bowling ball. Its existence, says Manque, could possibly explain a host of mysterious phenomena. Manque...