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In the years following the war, Dyson was responsible for demonstrating the equivalence of the two formulations of quantum electrodynamics which existed at the time - Richard Feynman's path integral formulation and the variational methods developed by Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga.
From 1957 to 1961 he worked on the Orion project, which proposed the possibility of space-flight using nuclear propulsion: a prototype was demonstrated using conventional explosives, but a treaty banning the use of nuclear weapons in space caused the project to be abandoned.
In one of his scientific papers, Dyson theorized that a technologically advanced society could completely surround its native star in order to maximize the capture of the star's available energy. Eventually, the civilization would completely enclose the star, intercepting electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths from visible light downwards and radiating waste heat outwards as infrared radiation. Therefore, one method of searching for extraterrestrial civilisations would be to look for large objects radiating in the infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrumLegend γ Gamma rays HX Hard X-rays SX Soft X-Rays EUV Extreme ultraviolet NUV Near ultraviolet Visible light NIR Near infrared MIR Moderate infrared FIR Far infrared Radio waves EHF Extremely high frequency (Microwaves) SHF Super high frequency (Mic. Dyson conceived that such structures would be clouds of asteroidAn asteroid is a small, solid object in our Solar System, orbiting the Sun. An asteroid is an example of a minor planet (or planetoid , which are much smaller than planets. The asteroids are believed to be remnants of the protoplanetary disc which were no-sized space habitatA space habitat also called space colony and orbital colony is a space station which is intended as a permanent settlement rather than as a simple waystation or other specialized facility. They would be literal "cities" in space, where people would live as, though science fictionScience fiction generally speaking, is a form of speculative fiction which deals principally with the impact of imagined science and/or technology upon society or individuals. There are, perhaps, exceptions to (or at least, some very unusual examples of) writers have preferred a solid structure: either way, such an artifact is often referred to as a Dyson sphereA Dyson sphere is a hypothetical megastructure first described in 1959 by the physicist Freeman Dyson in a short paper published in the journal Science entitled "Search for Artificial Stellar Sources of Infra-Red Radiation". It is an artificial hollow sph.
Dyson has also proposed the creation of a Dyson tree , a genetically-engineered plant capable of growing on a cometHalley's Comet nucleus sunlit from the left. A comet is a relatively small astronomical object similar to an asteroid but composed largely of ice. In Earth's solar system, the orbits of comets may extend past that of Pluto; of the comets which enter the i. He suggested that comets could be engineered to contain hollow spaces filled with a breathable atmosphere, thus providing self-sustaining habitats for humanity in the outer solar systemA generic solar system (or planetary system consists of at least one star and various orbiting objects (such as asteroids, comets, moons, and planets). The term originated to describe the planetary system around Sol, the Latin name for our sun. The planet.
Dyson has published a number of collections of speculations and observations about technology, science, and the future:
His daughter is the well-known Esther Dyson. His son is the historian of technology George Dyson, one of whose books is Project Orion: The Atomic Spaceship 1957-1965. Despite sharing a last name, he is not related to early 20th-century astronomer Frank Watson Dyson. However as a small boy Freeman Dyson was aware of him and credits him with inadvertantly helping to spark his interest in science.
Freeman John Dyson was awarded the Max Planck medal in 1969.
He was the 2000 winner of the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.