Holtzman Effect



The Holtzman Effect was a scientific theory relating to the repellant force of subatomic particles, and is part of a branch of scientific discoveries in the area of physics to bear the root name Holtzman.

Discovery
Holtzman made his discoveries during ~7500BG, reappearing throughout the years before presenting his unified theory in ~2000BG, and during the Butlerian Jihad had proved to have a profound impact on human society.

Effects
The effects of this theory were felt on humanity for tens of thousands of years, and proved to be the catalyst for rapid technological developments in several areas. These include:


 * Shield: The Effect allowed the creation of a shielding that repelled most methods of fast moving projectiles, but allowed slower moving objects, such as hand-held knives, to pass through. This changed the nature of warfare - conventional projectile weapons became mostly useless and laser weapons became incredibly dangerous, forcing humanity to return to the use of hand-weapons.
 * Suspensors: The Effect's repellent effect allowed physical objects equipped with a Holtzman field generator to defy gravity.
 * Glowglobe: Another practical use of the Holtzman Effect was the invention of the glowglobe, which produced light self-powered usually by organic batteries, and float allowed by a small Holtzman field suspensor generator.
 * Space travel: Probably the most profound effect of the Holtzman Effect was its ability to fold space and time, and thus allow for instantaneous travel from one side of the universe to the other.

Behind the Scenes
The Holtzman Effect is mentioned several times in passing by Frank Herbert in his original Dune novels. But no specific details as to the scientific principles behind it are given. Furthermore, the spelling of Holtzman differs slightly from one novel to the next (this was most probably intentional).

More detail is given as to the origin, development, and science behind the Holtzman Effect in the Legends of Dune prequel novels by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. They made Norma Cenva his assistant and credit her with developing one of Holtzman's immature concepts into an advanced, quantifiable principle.

Эффект Хольцмана