Eric Lerner

theory. It received unfavorable reviews from professional cosmologists.

Lerner is an independent researcher active in the field of plasma physics and is currently the executive director of the Focus Fusion Society and president of Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc. in West Orange, New Jersey, [See Personnel listed on the Web site for [http://www.lawrencevilleplasmaphysics.com/index.php?pr=About_Us Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc] .] which describes itself as a technology research, consulting and communications firm.

Personal history

Lerner was born in 1947 in Brookline, Massachusetts. He received a BA in physics from Columbia University [Columbia Alumni Directory, 1988 edition, p.211.] and did graduate work in physics at the University of Maryland, College Park without completing a degree. [Biography at the [http://thespaceshow.com/guest.asp?q=342 Space Show] ] He has studied plasma phenomena and laboratory fusion devices, performing experimental work on the dense plasma focus funded by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in collaboration with the University of Illinois in 1994 [ [http://trs-new.jpl.nasa.gov/dspace/bitstream/2014/23572/1/96-0007.pdf JPL Contract 959962] , pg 8.] and with Texas A&M University in 2001. [JPL Contract 960283] He believes he has demonstrated that the production of useful energy from aneutronic fusion can be made more feasible, [ [http://www.physicsessays.com/symposium2005.asp Advances Toward pB11 Fusion with the Dense Plasma Focus] , 5th Symposium, "Current Trends in International Fusion Research: A Review", March 7, 2005, Washington, D.C. [http://www.arxiv.org/abs/physics/0401126 arXiv] ] [Kenneth Chang, [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/27/science/27fusion.html?_r=3&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1172588880-XacSLlMti1+1/2yzSxBbsA&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin "Practical Fusion, or Just a Bubble?"] , New York Times, February 27, 2007] and that for $300,000, such a reactor could be constructed. [Patrick Huyghe, [http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jun/29-3-ideas-that-are-pushing-the-edge-of-science "3 Ideas That Are Pushing the Edge of Science"] , Discover Magazine, June 2008]

Lerner is a critic of the Big Bang theory and advocates an infinitely old Universe. [Marcus Chown, [http://space.newscientist.com/article/mg18625061.800-did-the-big-bang-really-happen.html "Did the Big Bang Really Happen?"] , New Scientist, 2 July 2005] In 2006 he accepted an invitation to be a Visiting Astronomer at the European Southern Observatory in Chile, offered at the initiative of fellow Big Bang critic and MOND enthusiast Riccardo Scarpa. [ [http://www.eso.org/sci/activities/santiago/personnel/senior2006.html ESO Senior Visits in 2006] and [http://www.eso.org/sci/meetings/santiago/abs06/abstract2006.html activities] ]

Lerner is also an active general science writer, estimating that he has had about 600 articles published. He has received journalism awards between 1984 and 1993 from the Aviation Space Writers Association. [Lerner estimates he has had about 600 articles published, in article such as "Discover", [http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_n8_v16/ai_17253896] and "Industrial Physicist". [http://scholar.google.com/scholar?as_q=&num=50&btnG=Search+Scholar&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_occt=any&as_sauthors=eric+lerner&as_publication=Industrial+Physicist&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&as_allsubj=all&hl=en&lr=&safe=off] ]

"The Big Bang Never Happened"

"The Big Bang Never Happened" (1991) is Lerner's controversial book repudiating mainstream Big Bang cosmology and advancing instead a non-standard "plasma cosmology" originally proposed by Hannes Alfven in the 1960s.

In this work, Lerner claims that the Big Bang theory is inconsistent with empirical data [Eric Lerner, "The Big Bang Never Happened", page 12] [Eric Lerner, "The Big Bang Never Happened", page 13] and asserts that plasma cosmology provides a model of the universe more consistent with observable physical laws than the big bang:

The phenomena that the Big Bang seeks to explain with a mysterious ancient catacylsm, plasma theories attribute to electrical and magnetic processes occurring in the universe today. [Eric Lerner, "The Big Bang Never Happened", page 14]

He proposes a model of thermodynamics which he attributes in part to the work of Ilya Prigogine under which the universe has no definite age [Eric Lerner, "The Big Bang Never Happened", footnote on page 388] and continually increases in order. [Eric Lerner, "The Big Bang Never Happened", pages 286-316]

The response of professional cosmologists to Lerner's ideas set out in the book has been negative; Paul Davies reviewed the book for the New York Times and found it to be unsatisfactory. The newspaper published a rebuttal by Lerner which was itself criticized by Arno A. Penzias, winner of the 1978 Nobel Prize for Physics::"The sizes of the vast ribbons of galaxies that Eric J. Lerner refers to come straight out of the Big Bang model itself.... Contrary to Mr. Lerner's claim, therefore, the 'simple mathematics' he cites rests upon, rather than contradicts the Big Bang model." [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE5DD1F39F93BA25755C0A967958260 "Big Bang Theory Makes Sense of Cosmic Facts; No Contradiction"] , New York Times, June 18, 1991] Subsequent to this, Davies himself responded to Lerner's criticism of his review::'"It seems to me that the theory proposed by Mr. Lerner has serious problems in relation to thermodynamics. This is merely my professional opinion, for what it is worth. Others can judge for themselves.... I accept that Mr. Lerner's book reports work that is largely due to Hannes Alfven, but this does not render it immune from criticism." [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEFD8123CF932A3575AC0A967958260 "Did the Big Bang Happen?"] , New York Times, Sep 1, 1991]

Victor J. Stenger, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Hawaii, criticized Lerner's book in a 1992 edition of the popular magazine, Skeptical Inquirer.cite journal | first = Victor J. | last = Stenger | title = Is the Big Bang a Bust? | url = http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/Cosmo/bang.txt | journal = Skeptical Inquirer | volume = 16 | issue = 412 | date = Summer 1992 ] Professor Edward L. Wright of UCLA says that there are several errors of fact in the book,Wright, Edward L. " [http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/lerner_errors.html Errors in "The Big Bang Never Happened"] ] though Lerner disputes this. [cite web | url = http://bigbangneverhappened.org/p25.htm | title = The Big Bang Never Happened: Dr. Wright is Wrong | accessdate = 2008-07-13]

References

External links and references

* Official websites:
** [http://www.focusfusion.org Focus Fusion Society]
** Eric Lerner, " [http://www.bigbangneverhappened.org The Big Bang Never Happened] "
** [http://www.lawrencevilleplasmaphysics.com/ Lawrenceville Plasma Physics, Inc.]