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The author of Skulls in the Stars is a professor of physics, specializing in optical science, at UNC Charlotte. The blog covers topics in physics and optics, the history of science, classic pulp fantasy and horror fiction, and the surprising intersections between these areas. -
Author Archives: skullsinthestars
The Einstein Theory of Relativity, by Lillian Lieber
I have been criminally unaware of the works of Lillian Lieber until recently. Somehow, I got wind of one of her books, the extremely unconventional 1945 book The Einstein Theory of Relativity, and from the description I knew I had … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, Relativity
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Do scientists debate? Not like that they don’t
This is gonna bit a bit of a rant like the old days of blogging. A few days ago we had anti-vaccine crank and poison pill presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. show up on Joe Rogan’s equally cranky podcast … Continue reading
Posted in ... the Hell?, General science
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New collaborative paper on an optical Hilbert’s Hotel!
I need to talk about more of my own research on this blog, and a new collaborative paper that just came out is a good opportunity! This paper presents collaborative work I did with researchers in India at the Physical … Continue reading
Posted in Mathematics, Optics
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A blog milestone and some book news!
So yesterday’s blog post marked a silly milestone: I posted 69 days in a row! Why 69? Because I thought it would be nice? More seriously, I was posting every day for a while as an excuse to promote my … Continue reading
Posted in Personal
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A radioactive test of special relativity (1960)
Einstein’s special theory of relativity still is met with disbelief by a lot of non-physicists, and it is probably one of the most active areas of physics science denial out there. Write about relativity, and it is quite likely that … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics, Relativity
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Phantom of the Seven Stars, by Ray Cummings
I’ve been trying to post something every day to the blog for as long as I can, and it has been quite an exhilarating ride! I’m nearing the end of that run, and what better way to celebrate it, and … Continue reading
Posted in Invisibility, Science fiction
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1975: Neutrons go right round, baby, right round
Originally posted on Skulls in the Stars:
Some time ago, I wrote about a fascinating 1975 experiment in which the relationship between quantum mechanics and gravity was tested. The experiment was made possible by the new — at the time — technique…
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What the heck is the “speed of light?” Part 2
In Part 1 of What the heck is the “speed of light?”, we noted how light in matter can move much slower than the vacuum speed of light c, or even appear to move much faster than c, under the … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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What the heck is the “speed of light?” Part 1
Most of us have heard a statement similar to the one that follows: “The speed of light is constant.” That particular phrasing of the statement comes from none other than the American Museum of Natural History’s Einstein exhibit, so I … Continue reading
Posted in Optics, Physics
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