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| Soon after the war Dyson was first physicist who realised ] theory has 2 different faces. One face was researched by ] alone and the other one by ] and ]. | Soon after the war Dyson was first physicist who realised ] theory has 2 different faces. One face was researched by ] alone and the other one by ] and ]. | ||
| From 1957 to 1961 he worked on the ], which demonstrated the |
From 1957 to 1961 he worked on the ], which demonstrated the possibility of space-flight using nuclear propulsion: a prototype was demonstrated using conventional explosives, but a treaty banning the use of ] in space caused the project to be abandoned. | ||
| In one of his papers, he made the observation that it was possible that a growing technological society would increasingly surround its native star so as to maximise the capture of available energy. The end point of this process would be the complete enclosure of the star; all wavelength from visible light downwards being intercepted and waste heat being radiated outwards as infrared radiation. Therefore, one method of ] would be to look for suspiciously large objects radiating in the ]. Dyson actually conceived of such a structure as being a cloud of ]-sized habitats, though ] writers have preferred a solid structure: either way, such an artifact is often referred to as a ]. | In one of his papers, he made the observation that it was possible that a growing technological society would increasingly surround its native star so as to maximise the capture of available energy. The end point of this process would be the complete enclosure of the star; all wavelength from visible light downwards being intercepted and waste heat being radiated outwards as infrared radiation. Therefore, one method of ] would be to look for suspiciously large objects radiating in the ]. Dyson actually conceived of such a structure as being a cloud of ]-sized habitats, though ] writers have preferred a solid structure: either way, such an artifact is often referred to as a ]. | ||
Revision as of 16:05, 25 September 2002
Freeman John Dyson (December 15, 1923 - ) English-born American physicist and mathematician. It is not so well known he is among the most renowned Hardy's students. He was involved in the Manhattan Project during World War II; after the war, he moved to Princeton.
Soon after the war Dyson was first physicist who realised Q.E.D. theory has 2 different faces. One face was researched by Richard Feynman alone and the other one by Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga.
From 1957 to 1961 he worked on the Orion project, which demonstrated the possibility of space-flight using nuclear propulsion: a prototype was demonstrated using conventional explosives, but a treaty banning the use of nuclear weapons in space caused the project to be abandoned.
In one of his papers, he made the observation that it was possible that a growing technological society would increasingly surround its native star so as to maximise the capture of available energy. The end point of this process would be the complete enclosure of the star; all wavelength from visible light downwards being intercepted and waste heat being radiated outwards as infrared radiation. Therefore, one method of searching for extraterrestrial civilisations would be to look for suspiciously large objects radiating in the infrared. Dyson actually conceived of such a structure as being a cloud of asteroid-sized habitats, though science fiction writers have preferred a solid structure: either way, such an artifact is often referred to as a Dyson sphere.
His drive with Feynmann and spending a night in a "hotel" is very anecdotal.
Dyson also studied the faith of the Universe, a subject which is very active again today.
He has published a number of collections of speculations and observations about technology, science, and the future:
- Imagined Worlds
- From Eros to Gaia
- Disturbing the Universe
His daughter is the well-known Esther Dyson.
See also: Dyson's eternal intelligence