A Journey Into Modern Physics

New fundamental forces of Nature? New forms of "dark'' energy? Signals from epochs preceding the Big Bang? Is our space-time unique? Only a joint study of the three topics examined in this book – gravity, strings and particles – may provide answers to these questions. Such a study may also provide the key to solving one of the most fascinating mysteries of modern science, namely: Besides time and the three spatial dimensions, how many other dimensions exist in our universe?

This book offers a first-hand introduction to the Lanzhou Heavy Ion Research Facility. Taking readers on a fascinating journey through the magical nuclear world, it shapes the abstract nucleus into an intuitive and pleasing image of a "dwarf".