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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. -
Category Archives: Physics
What is quantum entanglement? Part 4: relativity and entanglement
This is part 4 in a lengthy series of posts attempting to explain the idea of quantum entanglement to a non-physics audience. Part 1 can be read here, Part 2 can be read here, and Part 3 here. In the last … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, quantum
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What is quantum entanglement? Part 3: Entanglement, at last
This is part 3 in a lengthy series of posts attempting to explain the idea of quantum entanglement to a non-physics audience. Part 1 can be read here, and Part 2 can be read here. Here, in part 3, we will at … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics, quantum
15 Comments
Coming in 2018: Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics!
I’ve only been hinting at this revelation so far, but I am finally ready to let the cat out of the bag — almost literally! I have signed a contract with Yale University Press to write my first popular science book, … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, History of science, Personal, Physics
5 Comments
What is quantum entanglement? Part 2: Randomness and measurement
This is part 2 in a lengthy series of posts attempting to explain the idea of quantum entanglement to a non-physics audience. Part 1 can be read here. So, by the mid 1920s, physicists had made significant progress in developing the … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics, quantum
9 Comments
What is Quantum Entanglement? Part 1: Waves and particles
If you follow science, or science fiction, to any degree, great or small, you’ve probably heard the term “quantum entanglement” before. You may also have heard it referred to as “spooky action at a distance,” and understand that it somehow … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics, quantum
20 Comments
Michael Faraday meets “The Ghost”
My most recent blog post, concerning the history of the Pepper-Dircks Ghost, was extremely long but didn’t even include all the fascinating aspects of its history. For instance: the ghost was such an incredibly effective illusion that it even drew … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Optics, Physics
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Cat-turning in the Washington Post!
Those who have followed this blog for a while know that I have a fascination with the physics and history of “cat-turning,” the ability of a cat to turn over and land on its feet even when it falls with … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, Personal, Physics
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How much does a photon weigh?
A couple of weeks ago, after a glass of wine, I did a twitter “ask me anything” about optics and light which resulted in the question that is the title of this post. I took a rough twitter stab at it … Continue reading
Posted in Physics, quantum, Relativity
24 Comments
The Hunt for Vulcan, by Thomas Levenson
Some of the most interesting stories in the history of science are those where investigations take a wrong turn. Scientific progress is filled with red herrings, failed assumptions, and wild guesses that rarely make it into the science textbooks. When … Continue reading
Posted in History of science, Physics
2 Comments
Light, by Kimberly Arcand and Megan Watzke
I have a lot of catching up to do in terms of popular science books, so I’ve recently been doing an intense amount of reading. A lot of my focus has been on reading books by people I’m acquainted with … Continue reading
