The investigation of discrete symmetries is a fascinating subject which has been central to the agenda of physics research for fifty years, and has been the target of many experiments, ongoing and in preparation, all over the world. This book approaches the subject from a somewhat less traditional angle: it puts more emphasis on the experimental aspects of the field, trying to provide a wider picture than usual and to convey the intellectual challenge of experimental physics. The book includes the related connection to phenomenology, a purpose for which the precision experiments in this field ... More

The investigation of discrete symmetries is a fascinating subject which has been central to the agenda of physics research for fifty years, and has been the target of many experiments, ongoing and in preparation, all over the world. This book approaches the subject from a somewhat less traditional angle: it puts more emphasis on the experimental aspects of the field, trying to provide a wider picture than usual and to convey the intellectual challenge of experimental physics. The book includes the related connection to phenomenology, a purpose for which the precision experiments in this field — often rather elegant and requiring a good amount of ingenuity — are very well suited. The book discusses discrete symmetries (parity, charge conjugation, time reversal, and of course CP symmetry) in microscopic (atomic, nuclear, and particle) physics, and includes a detailed description of some key or representative experiments. The book discusses their principles and challenges more than the historical development. The main past achievements and the most recent developments are both included.