From Publishers Weekly
In 1962, Arthur C. Clarke offered three laws of technological development, the last of which reads: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Expanding on an article he wrote for Wired, McCarthy uses Clarke's law as a jumping-off point for a grand tour of cutting-edge "quantum dot" research, a field that seems like nothing so much as alchemy, 21st-century style. Quantum dots are tiny pieces of semiconductor that can trap electrons, with a remarkable consequence: "the electrons trapped in a quantum dot will arrange themselves as though they were part of an atom, even through there's no atomic nucleus for them to surround." The result is an artificial atom, maybe 50 times larger than a natural one, that can simulate the properties of any element on the periodic table by catching or releasing additional electrons. McCarthy offers an extensive survey of both the science behind such "programmable matter" and the scientists developing it, reveling in applications as far-ranging as walls that light a room with their own radiant glow, cars that levitate along magnetic streets, and TV screens that "look less like a moving picture and more like a window into a real, three-dimensional space." The author, an engineer as well as a writer, is a part of the story himself, holding a patent for an application of quantum dots that he calls "wellstone" (his patent application is included as an appendix), and he makes an informative but at times technically dense case for the promising, even magical, potential of programmable atoms.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
McCarthy, perhaps best known for his science fiction (see the review of his latest novel on p.1286), turns his attention to a real-life scientific revolution somewhere in our future. Eventually, he predicts, matter will be made programmable--easily changed from hard to soft, for instance-- by "quantum dots." Readers who are barely on nodding terms with Einstein need not be deterred. McCarthy employs a soothing narrative manner that draws readers into the story; even when the science gets tough to digest, there's enough "fiction"--freewheeling speculation--to keep you going. As an engineer, sf writer, and journalist, McCarthy says he has an "obsession with the future." That's what allows him to take the quantum-dot theory and run with it, extrapolating how these very tiny dots will change the ways homes use heat and light, make Jetson-style transportation possible, and even bring about the development of new colors. Throughout, McCarthy describes the phenomenon of programmable matter as a kind of magic. His knack for describing it is magical in itself. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Book News, Inc.
Between the nanoscale of the water molecule and the microscale of a organic cell lies a physical realm known as the mesoscale, described by a physics that is neither classical nor quantum. Science columnist McCarthy explores current research in mesoscopic semiconductor structures for a lay audience and speculates on the fantastic new technologies that could result, from variable magnetism of materials to simulated antimatter.Copyright © 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Hacking Matter: Levitating Chairs, Quantum Mirages, and the Infinite Weirdness of Programmable Atoms FROM OUR EDITORS
Savvy technology watchers swear that programmable atoms are the Next Big Thing. According to Wired contributing editor Wil McCarthy, this technological revolution will thoroughly transform life. Listen to his prognostications: "The flick of a switch; a wall becomes a window becomes a hologram generator. Any chair becomes a hypercomputer, any rooftop a power or waste treatment plant. We scarcely notice; programmable matters prevades our homes, our workplaces, our vehicles and environments." McCarthy blends lucid nuts-and-bolts explanations of "quantum dots" and other developing technologies with healthy doses of "You ain't seen nothin' yet" descriptions of speculative applications. A fascinating book for any reader intrigued by new technologies.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"The book's science is solid and McCarthy's fervor genuinely infectious. The future never felt so close." —Wired
Programmable matter is probably not the next technological revolution, nor even perhaps the one after that. But it's coming, and when it does, it will change our lives as much as any invention ever has. Imagine being able to program matter itself-to change it, with the click of a cursor, from hard to soft, from paper to stone, from fluorescent to super-reflective to invisible. Supported by organizations ranging from Levi Strauss and IBM to the Defense Department, solid-state physicists in renowned laboratories are working to make it a reality. In this dazzling investigation, Wil McCarthy visits the laboratories and talks with the researchers who are developing this extraordinary technology, describes how they are learning to control it, and tells us where all this will lead. The possibilities are truly astonishing.
Author Biography: Wil McCarthy is a novelist, the science columnist for the SciFi channel, and the Chief Technology Officer for Galileo Shipyards, an aerospace research corporation. He lives in Lakewood, Colorado.
SYNOPSIS
Between the nanoscale of the water molecule and the microscale of a organic cell lies a physical realm known as the mesoscale, described by a physics that is neither classical nor quantum. Science columnist McCarthy explores current research in mesoscopic semiconductor structures for a lay audience and speculates on the fantastic new technologies that could result, from variable magnetism of materials to simulated antimatter. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
FROM THE CRITICS
Kirkus Reviews
A fascinating glimpse of research that may in a few years find its way into our everyday lives.
Publishers Weekly
In 1962, Arthur C. Clarke offered three laws of technological development, the last of which reads: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Expanding on an article he wrote for Wired, McCarthy uses Clarke's law as a jumping-off point for a grand tour of cutting-edge "quantum dot" research, a field that seems like nothing so much as alchemy, 21st-century style. Quantum dots are tiny pieces of semiconductor that can trap electrons, with a remarkable consequence: "the electrons trapped in a quantum dot will arrange themselves as though they were part of an atom, even through there's no atomic nucleus for them to surround." The result is an artificial atom, maybe 50 times larger than a natural one, that can simulate the properties of any element on the periodic table by catching or releasing additional electrons. McCarthy offers an extensive survey of both the science behind such "programmable matter" and the scientists developing it, reveling in applications as far-ranging as walls that light a room with their own radiant glow, cars that levitate along magnetic streets, and TV screens that "look less like a moving picture and more like a window into a real, three-dimensional space." The author, an engineer as well as a writer, is a part of the story himself, holding a patent for an application of quantum dots that he calls "wellstone" (his patent application is included as an appendix), and he makes an informative but at times technically dense case for the promising, even magical, potential of programmable atoms. (Apr.) Forecast: Definitely for techno-junkies, not the average curious reader. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Expanding on an article from Wired, SF novelist McCarthy (The Collapsium, 2000, etc.) asserts that the next breakthrough in materials science might be designer elements with properties programmable to whatever the customer requests. The basis for this prediction is "quantum dots": computer chips with microscopic domains that can mimic the chemical signature of specified atoms by varying the number of electrons they hold. The author describes the hardware and the physics behind the research and interviews several of the scientists working with quantum dots. As of this writing, several two-dimensional ("pancake") elements have been created and arranged in a simplified periodic table. As one might have guessed, their properties lie in between those of the silicon of the chip and those of the element with which they share an electronic signature. In theory, manipulating the electronic properties of these elements will allow precise control over electrical conductivity, thermal insulation, transparency, magnetism, tensile strength, and all the other characteristics of familiar materials. McCarthy concedes that much of the work in this area at present depends on expensive and delicate devices that need cryogenic temperatures and high voltages to run at all. Integrating them into the suburban home will depend on fitting large numbers of programmable atoms into arrays that, at room temperature and low power, can substitute for current construction materials. The results could include a house able to regulate its own temperature, supply windows or lights wherever the inhabitants find them useful at a given moment, and generate sufficient energy for all normal activities--or a garment that canchange color depending on the wearer's whim. McCarthy sometimes assumes more technical expertise than many readers are likely to have, but in compensation he effectively conveys the inherent gee-whiz character of his subject. A fascinating glimpse of research that may in a few years find its way into our everyday lives. Agent: Shawna McCarthy
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