Eric Lerner
Eric Lerner | |
---|---|
Born | Eric J. Lerner May 31, 1947[1] Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Website | LPPFusion.com |
Eric J. Lerner (born May 31, 1947) is an American popular science writer and independent plasma researcher.[2] He wrote the 1991 book The Big Bang Never Happened, which advocates Hannes Alfvén's plasma cosmology instead of the Big Bang theory. He is founder, president, and chief scientist of LPP Fusion.[3][4]
Professional work
Lerner received a BA in physics from Columbia University[5] and started as a graduate student in physics at the University of Maryland, but left after a year due to his dissatisfaction with the mathematical rather than experimental approach there.[6][7] He then pursued a career in popular science writing.
Lerner is an active general science writer, estimating that he has had about 600 articles published.[3] He has received journalism awards between 1984 and 1993 from the Aviation Space Writers Association. In 2006 he was a visiting scientist at the European Southern Observatory in Chile.[8]
LPP Fusion
In 1984, he began studying
On November 14, 2008, Lerner received funding for continued research, to test the scientific feasibility of Focus Fusion.
In October 2021, the company announced improved results with the latest version of its device, with reduced erosion and higher temperatures,[20] but the prior month, an independent expert stated that they were not close to a commercial fusion reactor with this device.[21]
The Big Bang Never Happened
In his book, The Big Bang Never Happened,
As an alternative to the Big Bang, Lerner adopted Alfvén's model of plasma cosmology that relied on
Criticism
Lerner's ideas have been rejected by mainstream physicists and cosmologists. In these critiques, critics have explained that, contrary to Lerner's assertions, the size of superclusters is a feature limited by subsequent observations to the
Physical cosmologists who have commented on the book have generally dismissed it.[25][27][28][29][30][31] In particular, American astrophysicist and cosmologist Edward L. Wright criticized Lerner for making errors of fact and interpretation, arguing that:[26]
- Lerner's alternative model for Hubble's Lawis dynamically unstable
- the number density of distant radio sources falsifies Lerner's explanation for the cosmic microwave background
- Lerner's explanation that the helium abundance is due to stellar nucleosynthesis fails because of the small observed abundance of heavier elements
Lerner has disputed Wright's critique.[32]
Activism
While at Columbia, Lerner participated in the 1965
In the 1970s, Lerner became involved in the National Caucus of Labor Committees, an offshoot of the Columbia University Students for a Democratic Society. Lerner left the National Caucus in 1978, later stating in a lawsuit that he had resisted pressure from the U.S. Labor Party, an organization led by Lyndon LaRouche, to violate election law by channeling profits of an engineering firm to the organization.[36][37]
More recently, Lerner sought civil rights protection for immigrants as a member and spokesman for the New Jersey Civil Rights Defense Committee.[38][39] He participated in the Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011.[40]
References
- doi:10.1109/27.199554. Archived from the original(PDF) on September 5, 2006. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ John Wilford, "Novel Theory Challenges The Big Bang", The New York Times, February 28, 1989
- ^ a b Eric Lerner's biography page at Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc.
- ^ "Eric Lerner | the Space Show".
- ^ Columbia Alumni Directory, 1988 edition, p.211
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8129-1853-3. pages 12 - 14, footnote on page 388, 286 - 316, 242
- ^ Biography at the Space Show Archived November 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, 2006
- ^ ESO Senior Visits in 2006, activities Archived May 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, and ESO Santiago Science Colloquia and Seminars 2006
- ^ Kenneth Chang, "Practical Fusion, or Just a Bubble?", The New York Times, February 27, 2007
- ^ JPL Contract 959962 Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, pg 8, and JPL Contract 960283
- ^ Patrick Huyghe, "3 Ideas That Are Pushing the Edge of Science", Discover Magazine, June 2008
- ^ A Novel Form of Fusion Power, The Economist, October 22, 2009
- ^ Lerner, Eric (October 3, 2007). "Focus Fusion: The Fastest Route to Cheap, Clean Energy" (video). Google TechTalks. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
- Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc. November 22, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
- S2CID 122230379.
- S2CID 120207711.
- ^ Halper, Mark (March 28, 2012). "Fusion breakthrough". Smart PLanet. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ Knapp, Alex (June 4, 2012). "U.S. Company Teams With Iranian University To Develop Fusion Power". Forbes.
- ISSN 1070-664X.
- ^ Wang, Brian. "LPP Fusion Increases Current and Reaches First Fusion Results". NextBigFuture.com. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
- ^ "Why Lawrenceville Plasma Physics Results are Not Even Wrong; a Detailed Analysis". impedans.com. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
- ^ Chown, Marcus (July 2, 2005). "Did the big bang really happen?". New Scientist.
- ISBN 978-0-00-654115-8.
- .
- ^ a b c Stenger, Victor J. (Summer 1992). "Is the Big Bang a Bust?". Skeptical Inquirer. 16 (412). Archived from the original on September 25, 2006.
- ^ a b c Wright, Edward L. "Errors in "The Big Bang Never Happened"
- ^ a b "Big Bang Theory Makes Sense of Cosmic Facts; No Contradiction", The New York Times, June 18, 1991
- ^ "Did the Big Bang Happen?", The New York Times, September 1, 1991
- ^ Feuerbacher & Scranton. "Evidence for the Big Bang".
- ^ Macandrew, Alec. "The Big Bang is not a Myth".
- ^ A critique of the tactics of Eric Lerner mentioning him explicitly by name appears on Sean Carroll's blog, Preposterous Universe
- ^ "The Big Bang Never Happened: Dr Wright is Wrong". Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2008.
- ^ Manoocheri, Kasra (February 2007). "Veterans of the Civil Rights Movement — Eric Lerner". crmvet.org.
- ^ "A Memorandum from the Strike Education Committee" Archived September 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine, Columbia University archives, May 4, 1968. Lists Eric Lerner as one of the committee members.
- ^ Eric Lerner | Columbia University 1968
- ISBN 978-0-385-23880-9.
- ^ Dennis King; Patricia Lynch (May 27, 1986). "The Empire of Lyndon LaRouche". The Wall Street Journal (Eastern ed.). p. 1.
- ^ Hsu, Spencer S. (January 17, 2007). "Immigrants Mistreated, Report Says". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
- ^ Eman Varoqua, "Not Everyone Is A Terrorist", The Record (Bergen County, NJ), December 7, 2004
- ^ Harkinson, Josh. "Occupy Protesters' One Demand: A New New Deal—Well, Maybe", Mother Jones, October 18, 2011.