The investigation of discrete symmetries is a fascinating subject which has been central in the agenda of physics research for 50 years, in several fields, and is the target of many experiments, ongoing and in preparation, all over the world. This book approaches the subject from a somewhat less traditional angle: while being self-contained and suitable to the reader who wants to acquire a solid knowledge of the topic, 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 and 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. Discrete symmetries (parity, charge conjugation, time reversal and of course CP symmetry) in microscopic (atomic, nuclear and particle) physics are discussed, including the detailed description of some key
or representative experiments, discussing their principles and challenges more than the historical development. The main past achievements and the most recent developments are both discussed.The level goes from introductory to rather advanced; while mainly addressed to graduate students, the book can also be useful to undergraduates (by skipping some of the most advanced sections and profiting from brief introductions to some topics in the appendixes), and to young researchers looking for a wider modern overview of the issues related to CP symmetry.

About the Author:
Marco Sozzi
Associate Professor in Physics
Scuola Normale Superiore
Piazza dei Cavalieri 7 -
56126 Pisa
Italy Studied in Torino, where he received his Ph.D. in elementary particle physics. Involved in particle physics experiments at Fermilab and CERN, where he spent several years as a fellow and a research associate. His main areas of research is CP violation, and he worked in the NA48 experiment at CERN which proved the
existence of direct CP violation in kaon decays, since its beginning, and participated to the follow-up program in NA48/1 and NA48/2, of which he is deputy spokesman.
He is author of about 70 articles and monographies in international journals.He has been teaching courses in general physics, particle physics and CP violation to undergraduate and graduate students at the Scuola Normale and the Universities of Pisa and Firenze, as well at international schools.
Since 2003 he has habilitation for associate professorship in physics.