Invisibility

A lively exploration of how invisibility has gone from science fiction to fact

Is it possible for something or someone to be made invisible? This question, which has intrigued authors of science fiction for over a century, has become a headline-grabbing topic of scientific research.

In this thought-provoking book, science writer and optical physicist Gregory J. Gbur traces the science of invisibility from its sci-fi origins in the nineteenth-century writings of authors such as H. G. Wells and Fitz James O’Brien to modern stealth technology, invisibility cloaks, and metamaterials.

Gbur explores the history of invisibility and its diverse science and technology connections, including the discovery of the electromagnetic spectrum, the development of the atomic model, and quantum theory. He shows how invisibility has moved from fiction to reality, and he questions the hidden paths that lie ahead for invisibility researchers.

The result is not only the story of invisibility but also the story of humankind’s understanding of the nature of light itself, and of the many fascinating figures who advanced this knowledge through the discoveries that they made.