Física de lo imposible

A f a s c i n a t i n g e x p l o r a t i o n of t h e s c i e n c e of the i m p o s s i b l e — f r o m d e a t h r a y s a n d f o r c e f i e l d s to invisibility c l o a h s — reuealing to w h a t e n t e n t s u c h t e c h n o l o ­ gies might be a c h i e u a b l e d e c a d e s or m i l l e n n i a into t h e f u t u r e

p o s s i b i l i t y . I n Physics of the Impossible, t h e re n o w n e d p h y s i c i s t M i c h i o K a k u e x p l o r e s to w h a t e x t e n t t h e t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d d e v i c e s of s c i e n c e f i c t i o n t h a t a r e deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future. F r o m t e l e p o r t a t i o n to t e l e k i n e s i s , K a k u uses t h e w o r l d o f s c i e n c e f i c t i o n to e x p l o re t h e fundamen­

O

ne h u n d r e d years ago, scientists w o u l d have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic b o m b w e r e b e y o n d t h e r e a l m of p h y s i c a l

t a l s — a n d t h e l i m i t s — o f t h e l a w s of p h y s i c s as w e k n o w t h e m today. He r a n k s t h e i m p o s s i b l e t e c h n o l o ­ gies b y c a t e g o r y — C l a s s I, I I , andI I I — d e p e n d i n g on w h e n t h e y m i g h t be a c h i e v e d , w i t h i n the n e x t cen­ tury, m i l l e n n i a , or perhaps never. I n a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains: • H o w the science of optics a n d electromagnetism an

m a y one day enable us to bend l i g h t around object, like a stream flowing

around a boulder,

m a k i n g the objectinvisible to observers "down­ stream" • H o w r a m j e t rockets, l a s e r sails, a n t i m a t t e r en­ g i n e s , a n d n a n o r o c k e t s m a y one d a y t a k e us to the nearby stars • H o w telepathy and psychokinesis, once consid­ ered pseudoscience, m a y one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, ductivity, and nanotechnology supercon­

• W h y a t i m e m a c h i n e isa p p a r e n t l y consistent w i t h the k n o w n l a w s of q u a n t u m physics, a l t h o u g h it would take an unbelievably advanced civiliza­ t i o n to a c t u a l l y b u i l d one

(continued from front

flap)

K a k u u s e s h i s d i s c u s s i o n of e a c h t e c h n o l o g y as a j u m p i n g - o f f p o i n t to e x p l a i n t h e s c i e n c e b e h i n d i t . A ne x t r a o r d i n a r y s c i e n t i f i c a d v e n t u r e , Physics of the Impossible t a k e s r e a d e r s o n a n u n f o r g e t t a b l e , mes­

m e r i z i n g j o u r n e y i n t o the w o r l d of s c i e n c e t h a t both enlightens and entertains.

ftllCHIO K A K U

is t h e H e n r y S e m a t P r o f e s s o r of

T h e o r e t i c a l P h y s i c s at the G r a d u at e C e n t e r of the C i t y U n i v e r s i t y of N e w Y o r k . He is t h e c o f o u n d e r o f s t r i n g f i e l d t h e o r y . He h a s w r i t t e n s e v e r a l b o o k s , i n c l u d i n g Parallel Worlds a n d Beyond Einstein, a n d h i s b e s t s e l l e r , Hyperspace, w a s v o t e d o n e of t h e b e s t s c i ­ e n c e b o o k s of t h e y e a r b y t h e New York Times an d t h e Washington Post. He is a f r e q u e n t g u e s t o n n a t i o n a l

TV, a n d h i s n a t i o n a l l y s y n d i c a t e d r a d i o p r o g r a m is h e a r d i n 1 3 0 c i t i e s . He l i v e s i n N e w Y o r k City.

wuuuu.mkahu.org
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Jacket design by Annabelle Bronstein Jacket photograph by David A. Hardy/Science Photo Library Author photograph byAndrea Brizzi Printed in the U.SA.

A D U A N C E P R A I S E F O R PHYSICS

OF THE

IMPOSSIBLE

"A genuine tour de force, skillfully delivering cogent descriptions of everything from subatomic structure to the laws of the universe." — K I R K U S R E V I E W S (starred)

CRITICAL A C C L A I M F O R PARALLEL
—Brian Greene, author of THE FABRIC OF THE

WORLDS
COSMOS

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