A student’s guide to Python for physical modeling

The last time I heard Guido Altarelli speak was at a major European conference at Grenoble in 2011. He delivered a memorably impressive summary of the whole of elementary particle theory, with occasional dry humour. Regarding the failure to discover supersymmetry at the CERN LHC, he said, ‘it is a time for depression, but not for despair! ’ (My recollection here differs a little from that of Max Klein in this volume.) Few outside his immediate circle knew that he had just been diagnosed with a serious type of cancer, which was to take his life a few years later. One of the world’s most distinguished particle physics theorists, Altarelli was a larger-than-life character whose influence on the subject was enormous. The present volume is a set of invited articles put together in his honour, written by prominent experimentalists and theorists who had connections with him and his work. It is a fitting tribute to an outstanding scientist. Accompanied by some contributions of a more personal nature, the fourteen physics articles range across all the wide areas of the subject in which Altarelli had taken part. They covermost of the StandardModel of elementary particles, with an emphasis on quantum chromodynamics.What makes this collection unusual and refreshing is that it is not the more common ‘Festschrift’ written by specialists for specialists, but a broad set of topical summaries and analyses addressed to a wide readership of particle physicists. Inevitably, some of the sections are more advanced in their treatment than others, but most of the material will be accessible and helpful to researchers at all levels, and in particular to those working on experiments at CERN, where Altarelli spent many years in the theory group. It is hard to do justice to the varied contents of this excellent collection without listing the entire book index, but I found the thorough and illuminating articles by Gavin Salam on the strong coupling constant, and Paolo Nason on the top quark mass, especially valuable. All of the contributions are of a very high quality, and I can only recommend that anyone involved in particle research should turn to the web for a full description of the richness of material that is included here. CERN have recently announced intentions for a new and exciting accelerator programme for the coming decades, but there are several possibilities. The reader who would like to knowmore about the physics case for these proposed facilities – given the large sums of money needed – will find very useful summaries of their justifications here. There are also overviews of the physics achievements of the former LEP and HERA colliders, still of great importance and which particle physicists of all ages should know about. Overall, these articles constitute a source of reference that could be very helpful for the professional researcher to have at hand for up-to-date and in-depth information on a diversity of topics, since not all the information is easily available elsewhere in a conveniently accessible form. Unfortunately, this book is not a cheap purchase, although the production quality is of a high standard with many figures in colour. Probably all physics department libraries should acquire it, and many individuals may find it a good investment. There is something here for everyone, and much for most. I’m sure Altarelli would have been pleased with that! The Editors are to be complimented for their initiative in making this unique volume possible.