Konrad Kleinknecht is a Professor of Experimental Physics. He has done research at CERN, in Geneva, and at the Universities of Heidelberg, Dortmund, Mainz, and Munich. During 1976, he worked at Caltech in Pasadena and at the Fermi National Laboratory near Chicago. In 1988 and 1989, he was invited to give the Loeb lectures at Harvard University. His work on the physics of elementary particles has been recognized through numerous prizes, among them the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Council (DFG), the High Energy Prize of the European Physical Society, and the Stern-Gerlach Medal of the German Physical Society (DPG). In addition to research papers, he has published books on the asymmetry of matter and anti-matter, particle detectors, and the politics of German energy policy.

• Preface.- Chapter 1: Einstein’s Youth.- Chapter 2: Heisenberg’s Youth.- Chapter 3: The Wonder Years.- Chapter 4: Impact of the Discoveries.- Chapter 5: Expulsion and the War Years.- Chapter 6: Social Affinities.- Important Concepts and Physicists.- Bibliography.- Index.

“It is a fascinating read for everybody interested in the science and culture of their time. … This is an ambitious book, which tells the story of the birth of modern physics in a well-documented and well-illustrated way. The author has managed brilliantly to do this in a serious, but nevertheless entertaining, way, which will make the book a pleasant read for all.” (Peter Jenni, CERN Courier, cerncourier.com, Vol. 60 (2), 2020)

Konrad Kleinknecht is a Professor of Experimental Physics. He has done research at CERN, in Geneva, and at the Universities of Heidelberg, Dortmund, Mainz, and Munich. During 1976, he worked at Caltech in Pasadena and at the Fermi National Laboratory near Chicago. In 1988 and 1989, he was invited to give the Loeb lectures at Harvard University. His work on the physics of elementary particles has been recognized through numerous prizes, among them the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Council (DFG), the High Energy Prize of the European Physical Society, and the Stern-Gerlach Medal of the German Physical Society (DPG). In addition to research papers, he has published books on the asymmetry of matter and anti-matter, particle detectors, and the politics of German energy policy.

• Preface.- Chapter 1: Einstein’s Youth.- Chapter 2: Heisenberg’s Youth.- Chapter 3: The Wonder Years.- Chapter 4: Impact of the Discoveries.- Chapter 5: Expulsion and the War Years.- Chapter 6: Social Affinities.- Important Concepts and Physicists.- Bibliography.- Index.

“It is a fascinating read for everybody interested in the science and culture of their time. … This is an ambitious book, which tells the story of the birth of modern physics in a well-documented and well-illustrated way. The author has managed brilliantly to do this in a serious, but nevertheless entertaining, way, which will make the book a pleasant read for all.” (Peter Jenni, CERN Courier, cerncourier.com, Vol. 60 (2), 2020)

Konrad Kleinknecht is a Professor of Experimental Physics. He has done research at CERN, in Geneva, and at the Universities of Heidelberg, Dortmund, Mainz, and Munich. During 1976, he worked at Caltech in Pasadena and at the Fermi National Laboratory near Chicago. In 1988 and 1989, he was invited to give the Loeb lectures at Harvard University. His work on the physics of elementary particles has been recognized through numerous prizes, among them the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Council (DFG), the High Energy Prize of the European Physical Society, and the Stern-Gerlach Medal of the German Physical Society (DPG). In addition to research papers, he has published books on the asymmetry of matter and anti-matter, particle detectors, and the politics of German energy policy.

• Preface.- Chapter 1: Einstein’s Youth.- Chapter 2: Heisenberg’s Youth.- Chapter 3: The Wonder Years.- Chapter 4: Impact of the Discoveries.- Chapter 5: Expulsion and the War Years.- Chapter 6: Social Affinities.- Important Concepts and Physicists.- Bibliography.- Index.

“It is a fascinating read for everybody interested in the science and culture of their time. … This is an ambitious book, which tells the story of the birth of modern physics in a well-documented and well-illustrated way. The author has managed brilliantly to do this in a serious, but nevertheless entertaining, way, which will make the book a pleasant read for all.” (Peter Jenni, CERN Courier, cerncourier.com, Vol. 60 (2), 2020)