Choice Review

As with the first edition (A Story of Light, 2004), this is not a textbook on particle physics. It would be useful for someone with advanced undergraduate preparation in physics who wants to learn about quantum field theory. Han (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology and Duke Univ.) looks at the study of electromagnetism as his model for understanding modern particle physics. He does this by paralleling the quantization and field theory approach to electromagnetism with the development of particle physics. This reviewer was a bit skeptical of this, but he was wrong. As someone with a good foundation in electromagnetism (but not in particle physics ), he found it straightforward to follow the discussions. The second edition includes new chapters that address the consequences of the Higgs particle discovery. This required a major rewriting of other chapters in order to keep the readable flow of the book. Though the work is brief, it does do a good job of introducing modern particle physics efficiently. Han uses a combination of both mathematical and conceptual explanations, stressing conceptual aspects. From Photons to Higgs would work well for readers interested in a higher-level introduction to the subject. --Eric Kincanon, Gonzaga University