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w U.S. $26.95/Canada $32.00 A fascinating exploration of the science of the impossible—from death rays and force fields to invisibility cloahs— reuealing to what entent such technolo gies might be achieuable decades or millennia into the future O ne hundred years ago, scientists would have said that lasers, televisions, and the atomic bomb were beyond the realm of physical possibility. In Physics of the Impossible, the renowned physicist Michio Kaku explores to what extent the technologies and devices of science fiction that are deemed equally impossible today might well become commonplace in the future. From teleportation to telekinesis, Kaku uses the world of science fiction to explore the fundamen tals—and the limits—of the laws of physics as we know them today. He ranks the impossible technolo gies by category—Class I, II, and III—depending on when they might be achieved, within the next cen tury, millennia, or perhaps never. In a compelling and thought-provoking narrative, he explains: • How the science of optics and electromagnetism may one day enable us to bend light around an object, like a stream flowing around a boulder, making the object invisible to observers "down stream" • How ramjet rockets, laser sails, antimatter en gines, and nanorockets may one day take us to the nearby stars • How telepathy and psychokinesis, once consid ered pseudoscience, may one day be possible using advances in MRI, computers, supercon ductivity, and nanotechnology • Why a time machine is apparently consistent with the known laws of quantum physics, although it would take an unbelievably advanced civiliza tion to actually build one (continued from front flap) Kaku uses his discussion of each technology as a jumping-off point to explain the science behind it. An extraordinary scientific adventure, Physics of the Impossible takes readers on an unforgettable, mes merizing journey into the world of science that both enlightens and entertains. ftllCHIO KAKU is the Henry Semat Professor of Theoretical Physics at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He is the cofounder of string field theory. He has written several books, including Parallel Worlds and Beyond Einstein, and his bestseller, Hyperspace, was voted one of the best sci ence books of the year by the New York Times and the Washington Post. He is a frequent guest on national TV, and his nationally syndicated radio program is heard in 130 cities. He lives in New York City. wuuuu.mkahu.org iAiwiAi.doubleday.com Jacket design by Annabelle Bronstein Jacket photograph by David A. Hardy/Science Photo Library Author photograph by Andrea Brizzi Printed in the U.SA. ADUANCE PRAISE FOR PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE "A genuine tour de force, skillfully delivering cogent descriptions of everything from subatomic structure to the laws of the universe." —KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred) CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR PARALLEL WORLDS "A wonderful tour, with an expert guide, of a cosmos whose comprehension forces us to stretch to the very limits of imagination." —Brian Greene, author of THE FABRIC OF THE COSMOS "A highly readable and exhilarating romp through the frontiers of cosmology." —Martin Rees, author of OUR COSMIC HABITAT and OUR FINAL CENTURY "A roller-coaster ride through the universe—and beyond—by one of the world's finest science writers." —Paul Davies, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, Macquarie University, Sydney, and author of HOW TO BUILD A TIME MACHINE CRITICAL ACCLAim FOR HVPERSPÛCE "One of the best popular accounts of higher physics." —Jim Holt, WALL STREET JOURNAL "Among the best of the genre to appear in recent years . . . What a wonderful adventure it is." —NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW "Mesmerizing . . . the reader exits dizzy, elated, and looking at the world in a literally revolutionary way." —WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE Other books by Michio Kaku PARALLEL WORLDS EINSTEIN'S COSMOS VISIONS HYPERSPACE BEYOND EINSTEIN i p /PS I IIP A SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION INTO THE WORLD OF PHASERS, FORCE FIELDS, TELEPORTATION, AND TIME TRAVEL Doubleday NEW YORK LONDON TORONTO SYDNEY AUCKLAND PUBLISHED BY DOUBLED AY Copyright © 2008 by Michio Raku All Rights Reserved Published in the United States by Doubleday, an imprint of The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. www.doubleday.com DOUBLEDAY and the portrayal of an anchor with a dolphin are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Raku, Michio. Physics of the impossible : a scientific exploration into the world of phasers, force fields, teleportation, and time travel / Michio Raku. -1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Physics-Miscellanea. 2. Science-Miscellanea. 3. Mathematical physics- Miscellanea. 4. Physics in literature. 5. Human-machine systems. I. Title. QC75.R18 2008 530-dc25 2007030290 ISBN 978-0-385-52069-0 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1 3 5 79 10 8 6 42 First Edition To my loving wife, Shizue, and to Michelle and Alyson