Return of the Ether: When Theory and Reality Collide

Is modern atomic theory flawed? What can explain the curious, well-documented "missing pieces" in quantum mechanics? Delving deeply into the molecular framework of subatomic particles, Dr. Sid Deutsch, an electrical engineer with a scientist's keen interest in the building blocks of the universe, makes sense out "quantum weirdness" by resurrecting a long-buried 19th century scientific concept - the Ether. As a recent New York Times article (February 2, 1999) states, "'Empty' space is anything but empty; the ether lives on."

Deutsch weaves a scientific detective story as profound as Hawking's A Brief History of Time, yet as fascinating and easy to understand as an episode of Star Trek! Although 20th century quantum mechanics changed the way we looked at the universe and the ether was abandoned, strange gaps in quantum theory remain. Only the 140-year-old idea of the ether, brought up to date to to fit modern theory, can explain these gaps.

Is the universe really a vacuum? Do large bodies such as the Earth carry with them their own ether as they hurtle through space? Dr. Deutsch's controversial - yet logical and plausible - speculations add credibility to the growing scientific movement that views the return of the ether as a long-needed explanation of "blips" in current cosmological theories.

* Not an isolated idea, the resurrection of the ether was recently profiled in an article entitled "Ether Re-emerges as the Je Ne Sais Quoi of Physics," in the Science Times section of The New York Times (February 2, 1999), quoting several leading physicists and citing articles in various scientific journals.

* Covers the relevancy of the ether as it relates to determinism, photons and electrons, the hydrogen atom, Bell's Theorem, special relativity, and the Big Bang theory.

* Many scientists have grave difficulties swallowing the more unrealistic tenets of quantum mechanics. This book provides rational answers to some of those doubts.

Dr. Sid Deutsch received his Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1955. He was one of the early television pioneers, publishing Theory and Design of Television Receivers (McGraw-Hill, 1951, also in Japanese edition). However, he became best known for his work in biomedical engineering, where he undertook research and teaching at Polytechnic University from 1954-72, at Rutgers University Medical School from 1972-79, and then head of the program at Tel Aviv University from 1979-84. He authored or co-authored Models of the Nervous System (John Wiley, 1967, also in Russian edition), Biomedical Instruments: Theory and Design (Academic Press, 1976 and 1992 editions, also Chinese edition), Neuroelectric Systems (New York University Press, 1987), and his most recent book, Understanding the Nervous System: An Engineering Perspective (IEEE Press, 1993), which was co-authored with his daughter, Alice, a Ph.D. in biology. His writing is characterized by lucid models and analogies that bring insights to the non-specialist reader, plus a pinch of humor and lightness on inherently "heavy" topics. Between 1991 and 1996, Dr. Deutsch served as an Associate Editor of the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, while also serving as a Visiting Professor at the University of South Florida in Tampa. He currently resides in Sarasota, Florida, where he remains active in writing, editing, and community affairs. Dr. Deutsch is a Fellow of the Society for Information Display and of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).