Freeman Dyson, for a Physicist without a PhD, has done some utterly cool and amazing things during his long career. One paper he wrote 41 years ago, based on his “Project Orion” experiences from 50 years ago, is this…
Interstellar Transport …watch out, as it’s an 18 Mb pdf. In the paper he introduces us to the fusion-bomb propelled starship, which is probably the best use of fusion bombs anyone has ever suggested. In the years since his design has served as a baseline for all further discussion, with newer versions merely tinkering with fusion ignition itself. Potentially a fusion-bomb starship can reach 0.1 c, thus making Alpha Centauri a 44 year one-way trip.
Another classic is his discussion of the very long term future of Life in the cosmos, albeit Life that has become very large “Black Cloud” style dispersed entities…
…he covers life into the mind-bogglingly remote period of 10^(10^76) years, which is an unimaginably large number, but not infinite. Yet even infinity might not be enough time to exhaust physical Life’s potential in his analysis. More recent cosmological speculation modifies his conclusions, but the certainty with which we can skein so far ahead is much less than often imagined.
More Dyson material is available online here and there throughout the Web, a select few at this webpage…
…which is a testimony to his appeal across ideologies. Infectious optimism.