In this essay we discuss epistemological implications of relativistic quantum field theory. The empirical domain of such a theory is formed by phenomena ascribed to subnuclear particles, sometimes still called elementary particles. This latter more traditional design at ionrejects the lasting desire of physicists to eventually second and isolate irreducible constituents of matter. Going down to the atomic level, electrons appear to play such a role, whereas the nuclei of atoms can be considered as compound systems of protons and neutrons, i. e. of two species of particles. This view makes sense, since the respective number of these two types of constituents essentially identifies an atomic nucleus. Extracted from a nucleus, however, the 'free' neutron is an unstable particle: it decays spontaneously into a proton, an electron and an anti-neutrino. In the past fifty years or so basically the bombardment of matter by protons or by electrons in specially devised experiments has revealed a large variety of further subnuclear objects. Successive generations of accelerators and refined collision devices provided higher and higher collision energies. All theses- nuclear objects are termed 'particles' in the physics community, nearly all of these objects are unstable and decay spontaneously into other ones. The respective lifetimes of the distinct types, however, differ widely, ranging from 3 - 25 relatively long(10 sec) to extremely short(10 sec). Because of this huge disparity in lifetime the notion of a particle deserves particular attention, a point laid stress on in our consideration. The study of the physical behaviour of these subnuclear particles led to distinguish three types of interactions: the strong, the electromagnetic and the weak interaction. As the names suggest these interactions differ in their respective strength.

Dies ist eine hervorragende EinfA1/4hrung in die Teilchenphysik und ebenso ein Repetitorium fA1/4r Studenten im PrA1/4fungssemester und fA1/4r Lehrer an Gymnasien. Der Autor, der als Forscher wesentliche Entwicklungen der Teilchenphysik begleitet hat und der als herausragender Lehrer gilt, wAhlt die Geschichte der Teilchenphysik als roten Faden. Die Begriffe und die Theorien werden in groAer Klarheit prAsentiert, und die Experimente werden herangezogen, um Erfolg und Misserfolg auf dem Weg zum Standardmodell zu illustrieren. Der mathematische Apparat wird klein gehalten, so dass das Buch auch den interessierten Laien in seinen Bann ziehen wird.

This volume gives an account of modern knowledge of Regge Theory and QCD, an active area of high-energy particle-physics research. It records what has been learned in the past, what is relevant now, and what is essential for the future. The authors cover forty years of research and provide unique insight into the theory and its phenomenological development. The phenomenology is applied to a variety of reactions and is compared extensively with experiment. This is essential reading for particle physicists and is suitable as a graduate textbook.

This book describes the underlying ideas and modern developments of Regge theory, confronting the theory with quantum chromodynamics and a huge variety of experimental data. It covers forty years of research and provides a unique insight into the theory and its phenomenological development. The authors review experiments that suggest the existence of a soft pomeron, and give a detailed discussion of attempts at describing this through nonperturbative quantum chromodynamics. They suggest that a second, hard pomeron is responsible for the dramatic rise in energy observed in deep inelastic lepton scattering. The two-pomeron hypothesis is applied to a variety of interactions and is compared and contrasted with perturbative quantum chromodynamics, as well as with the dipole approach. This book will provide a valuable reference for experimental particle physicists all over the world. It is also suitable for graduate courses in particle physics, high-energy scattering, QCD and the standard model.

Die Studie schlagt eine neue Losung fur die umstrittene Lehre von der Atomabweichung (clinamen) in der epikureischen Naturphilosophie vor. Indem Epikur einerseits enger an den vorsokratischen Atomismus angeschlossen und andererseits der vitalistische Charakter der Atombewegung bei Demokrit in Aufnahme neuerer Forschungsansatze hervorgehoben wird, erweist sich die spontane Atomabweichung als systematisches Herzstuck der Physik bei Epikur und Lukrez, als Prinzip sowohl der Entstehung der Welten und aller Korper wie der Willensfreiheit und der Lustbewegung. Die aus den Texten (Demokrit, Epikur und bes. Lukrez 2,216-293) erarbeitete und in Auseinandersetzung mit den antiken Testimonien und der modernen Forschung (von Karl Marx an) geprufte und verdeutlichte Abhandlung entwirft das Bild eines nichtmechanistischen antiken Atomismus und eines Materialismus, fur den die Materie wesensmassig formbestimmt ist und ihre Bewegungsursache in sich tragt. Ein Beitrag des Heidelberger Physikers Hans Gunter Dosch uber Spontaneitat in der Atomphysik des 20. Jhs. rundet das Buch ab.