The Xi Effect

"The Xi Effect" is a science fiction short story by American astronomer and author Robert S. Richardson (as (Philip Latham).

It has often been anthologised, appearing among the others in The Golden Age of Science Fiction, edited by Kingsley Amis (1981).

[1] Two astrophysicists, Stoddard and Arnold, are having trouble with solar infra-red observations; they find that some wavelengths have simply disappeared.

After listening to a talk by a brilliant but eccentric cosmologist, Dr Karl Gustav Friedmann, they realise that his theory about the so-called Xi Effect may explain their observations.

Electromagnetic radiation is progressively eliminated and even colours begin to disappear.

"The Xi Effect" was originally published in the January 1950 issue of Astounding Science Fiction .