Light Years: An Exploration of Mankind's Enduring Fascination with Light (Macmillan Science) - Softcover

Clegg, Brian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0230527256 ISBN 13: 9780230527256

Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007

Synopsis

This is the story of the greatest puzzle in our universe: what is light? Light Years is an engaging survey of everything we know of the universe's most enigmatic phenomenon and the remarkable people who have been captivated by it. Light Years looks over the shoulders of the great revolutionaries of light theory--Bacon, Galileo, Newton, Faraday, Maxwell and Feynman--and traces the evolution of light-driven devices from the camera to the laser. In this revised edition, leading popular science author Brian Clegg reveals how twenty-first century scientists have achieved the seemingly impossible in bringing light to a halt, and used the quantum properties of entangled light to produce unbreakable encryption and unbelievable computers. He explains the mind-bending advances that put light at the heart of all matter and which could finally make time travel possible.

About this title

Review

Brian Clegg is fascinated by light, and his sense of wonder comes across clearly in the engagingly written Light Years. He takes us on a tour of the human exploration of light, from early Chinese and Greek philosophers through Arabic and medieval European investigations to the most recent scientific breakthroughs, pausing on the way to admire how artists such as Turner and Manet incorporated ideas about light into their work. Light has many crucial functions: sunlight is the source of all life on Earth; the speed of light is fundamental to Einstein's theory of special relativity; a constant exchange of photons within atoms helps keep matter stable. It's a fascinating subject, and Clegg clearly explains the evolving theories of the nature of light, covering the work of dozens of scientists. In a series of refreshingly lively short biographies, he animates their varied lives and places their research into historical context, as light's complex nature was gradually revealed and some of its power harnessed. From photography to lasers, light has opened up vast realms of technical possibilities--from fibre optic communications to holographic storage of data. Recent research activity has seen light slowed down almost to a standstill, while others have even pushed light beams faster than Einstein's absolute-maximum speed limit of 300,000 kilometres per second. It seems certain that light will play a major part in the technologies of the 21st century, and this book may well whet the reader's appetite to learn more. --Elizabeth Sourbut

Review

Reviews for previous editions:

'Extraordinary, humorous, interesting, awesome' - NewScientist

'Immensely likeable' - Guardian

'A fascinating book on a fascinating subject' - Sir Patrick Moore CBE

'Illuminates and entertains' - Sir Clive Sinclair

About this edition

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0230527256
• ISBN 13: 9780230527256
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 271