Alternate Realities JJ.ow Science Shaped Our 1/idion o/ lhe WorfJ
Alternate Realities fiow Science Shape3 Our U3ion o/ fhe WorfJ JOEL DAVIS SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC
L1brary of Congress Catalog1ng-1n-PubI1cat1on Data Davis, Joel, 1948- Alternate realities: how science shapes our vision of the world / Joel DavIs. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and Index. ISBN 978-0-306-45629-9 ISBN 978-1-4899-3440-6 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-1-4899-3440-6 1. Science--Philosophy. 2. RealIty. 3. VIsIon. 1. Title. Q175.32.R42D39 1997 530'. 0 1 9--d c21 97-26417 CIP ISBN 978-0-306-45629-9 1997 Joel Davis Originally published by Plenum Publishing Corporation, New York in 1997 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1997 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
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This book was made possible in large part by the generous help and encouragement of many people. For their assistance I thank Dr. David Kliger and Dr. Eugene Switkes, University of California, Santa Cruz; Dr. Jerry Nelson, W.M. Keck Observatory, Hawaii; Dr. Steve Vogt, University of California, Santa Cruz/Lick Observatory, California; and Dr. George Smoot, University of California, Berkeley. All of them graciously consented to be interviewed at length for this book. They also reviewed various portions of the manuscript in progress and offered invaluable suggestions, corrections, and overall encouragement. Thanks, also, to the many men and women who reviewed the finished manuscript and offered comments and corrections, especially Dr. Charles Bennett, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland. Any errors of fact herein are not of their doing. I also thank the librarians at Eastern Washington University, Cheney, Washington; Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington; at the public libraries in Bellingham, Olympia, Spokane, and Spokane County, Washington; at The Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington; and at the University of Washington Livii
viii D Alternate Realities braries, Seattle, Washington. Libraries are our national and local treasures; support them and support our freedom to read. Bill Cannon in the Office of Public Information at the University of Washington was invaluable over the years in helping me find answers to some of my questions, including on this project. Just as helpful on this book were Jay Aller and Pat Orr at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California; Justin Harmon, Director of Communications/Publications, Princeton University; Julietta Gonzales of the University of Arizona in Tucson; Robert Irion and Jennifer McNulty of the University of California, Santa Cruz, Public Information Office; Laurel Phoenix, Lick Observatory; and especially Andy Perala at the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Special thanks go posthumously to my first wife, Marie Celestre. Through fifteen years of partnership she supported my career as a freelance writer and encouraged my large-scale foray into the world of nonfiction popular science books. Though we eventually divorced, we still remained in friendly contact with one another. She was pleased and interested in the subject of this book when I told her about it. I deeply regret that she died before it was completed, and never had a chance to read it. I thank my agent, Joshua Bilmes, for his patience and firmness in shepherding me through this book, and who offered me much encouragement throughout its creation. Many friends and relatives offered encouragement during the time I worked on this book and I thank them: my parents, Jerry and Toni Davis; my brothers Chris, Mickey, Tim, Peter, and Ed, and my sister Marie Wights and her husband Randy; and my stepdaughter Kirsten Nash and her husband Paul. Thanks also to John Celestre, Millie Celestre, Dr. John Cramer, John and Gail Dalmas, Tony and Ida Dolphin, Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, Elana Freeland, Dr. James Glass, Megan Lindholm, Vonda Mcintyre, Laura Sandberg, Theresa Scott and Rob Whitlam, John and Lee Seaman, Sara Stamey, and Tom and Jan Westbrook. Finally, and most importantly, I thank my wife, Judy. Her kind and continuous support has been invaluable during the writing of this book. I could not have completed it without her help.
1. In a Grain of Sand................................ 1 2. Starry Messengers, Eyes of Glass................... 29 3. Ripples of Light................................... 107 4. Quantum Realities................................ 187 5. Alternate Realities: Seeing Things Invisible........... 269 Appendix........................................... 279 Notes.............................................. 283 Bibliography 293 Index 303 ix