Gregory Gbur

Welcome to the faculty page of Professor Greg Gbur! Here you can find information about my research, my publications, and my blogging.

Now available: Invisibility: The History and Science of How Not to be Seen!

“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 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. He explores the history of invisibility and its 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 researchers.

This 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 whose discoveries advanced this knowledge.”

Now available: Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics!

“The question of how falling cats land on their feet has long intrigued humans. In this playful and eye-opening history, physicist and cat parent Gregory Gbur explores how attempts to understand the cat-righting reflex have provided crucial insights into puzzles in mathematics, geophysics, neuroscience, and human space exploration.

The result is an engaging tumble through physics, physiology, photography, and robotics to uncover, through scientific debate, the secret of the acrobatic performance known as cat-turning, the cat flip, and the cat twist. Readers learn the solution but also discover that the finer details still inspire heated arguments. As with other cat behavior, the more we investigate, the more surprises we discover.”

Textbook: Mathematical Methods for Optical Physics and Engineering:

Textbook:  Singular Optics:

I also run two different weblogs about science and other topics:

Skulls in the Stars: The intersection of physics, optics, history and pulp fiction

Science Chamber of Horrors: Presenting the freakiest and most terrifying aspects of science, scientists, and nature (Currently on hiatus)