Does Last Year’s Nobel Prize In Physics Make Einstein Turn In His Grave?

The Higgs Fake – How Particle Physicists Fooled the Nobel Committee is a merciless critique of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN and of the theoretical model on which the world’s most expensive experiment is based. Unzicker, a German physicist and award-winning science writer, argues that the reaction of the Swedish Academy to last year’s discovery appears to be a result of being beguiled by CERN’s attempts to justify the billions of dollars of public money being spent.

The book starts off by claiming that the greatest physicists such as Einstein, Dirac of Schrödinger would have considered the “discovery” of the Higgs particle ridiculous. The reasons, according to the author, are that: “1) the so-called standard model has grown unbelievably complicated, 2) none of the great riddles of physics that have persisted for a century have been solved, 3) history suggests that the current model is a dead end, 4) with their ever-more intricate experimental techniques, particle physicists are fooling themselves with alleged results, 5) scientific convictions in the community are established by blind faith in expert opinions, group-think and parroting, and 6) the data analysis in its complexity cannot be overseen by anybody.”

Unzicker gives a historical survey of the field, and concludes that particle physics, as practiced since 1930, is “a futile enterprise in its entirety.” The book is peppered with a series of funny quotes from famous philosophers and scientists. In the last section, “Antidotes,” he specifically attacks “the overstated claims by famous physicists such as Rolf-Dieter Heuer, Michio Kaku, Lisa Randall, Sean Carroll, Brian Cox and Jim Al-Khalili.” At the end, Unzicker lists questions that he would like to be asked to particle physicists at press conferences, hearings and discussions.

Unzicker's books have been praised as “well-grounded, sound, [and] informed,” and as “vehement pleading for physics as a natural science, in its best tradition,” but also dismissed by particle physicists as an “incoherent rant” and “time-wasting nonsense.” The new book, written in an even more explicit and provocative tone, is likely to scandalize the high energy physics community.

Dr. Alexander Unzicker is a German theoretical physicist working on gravity. He has degrees in both physics and law and a PhD in neuroscience. Unzicker became known for his popular science books published by Springer (a scientific imprint) and Hanser. While his arguments about both the standard models of physics as well as theoretical approaches like strings and multi-verses provoked controversial reactions. Unzicker's first book won the award “Science Book of the Year.” Its English edition, “Bankrupting Physics,” was published this year by Palgrave Macmillan.

Praise for previous books of the author:
The assertion that “science means, after all, not being a sucker” is well worth taking to heart. – Publishersweekly
A broad dismissal of modern theoretical physicists…Unzicker also targets the massive expenditures of funds on high-energy particle accelerators. – Kirkus Reviews
Unzicker dares to think outside the mainstream. A refreshing and provoking book... – Prof. Hans Volker Klapdor-Kleingrothaus, University of Heidelberg
Timely needed revision of contemporary physics´ idiocies. – Prof. Antonio Ruiz de Elvira, University of Alcalá de Henares
A passionate and profound search for scientific truth. Unzicker's questions to particle physicists at CERN are justified. PD Peter Thirolf, nuclear physicist at Munich University.
A major contribution to physics... Unzicker is pointing out that the emperor is naked... The establishment scientists will curse and moan. – Edwin E Klingman, author, former NASA Research Physicist
Book contains about 46k words