Halpern received a Ph.D in theoretical physics, an M.A. in physics and a B.A. in physics and mathematics. He was also the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship, Fulbright Scholarship, and an Athenaeum Society Literary Award.
He has written many popular science books and articles, including the books The Cyclical Serpent, Cosmic Wormholes and The Great Beyond. He has also appeared on the 1994 PBS series Futurequest, as well as the National Public Radio show "Radio Times."
In 2007 he published a book based on The Simpsons titled What's Science Ever Done for Us. He later appeared in The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!.
His published Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat in 2015, and The Quantum Labyrinth: How Richard Feynman and John Wheeler Revolutionized Time and Reality in 2017.
Works
Time Journeys: A search for Cosmic Destiny and Meaning, McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing, 1990, ISBN 9780070257061
Cosmic Wormholes: The Search for Interstellar Shortcuts, Plume, 1993. ISBN 9780452270299
The Cyclical Serpent: Prospects for an Ever-Repeating Universe, 1995; The Cyclical Serpent: Prospects for an Ever-Repeating Universe. Springer. 11 November 2013. pp. 4–. ISBN 978-1-4899-6036-8.
The Structure of the Universe. Henry Holt and Company. 16 September 2014. ISBN 978-1-4668-8168-6.
The Pursuit of Destiny: A History of Prediction, Perseus Pub., 2000, ISBN 9780738200958
Countdown to Apocalypse: A Scientific Exploration of the End of the World, 2000
The Quest for Alien Planets: Exploring Worlds Outside the Solar System. Perseus Books Group. 30 May 2003. pp. 4–. ISBN 978-0-7382-0890-9.
Faraway Worlds: Planets Beyond Our Solar System, 2004
The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything. John Wiley & Sons. 21 June 2004. pp. 2–. ISBN 978-0-471-65658-6.
Brave New Universe: Illuminating the Darkest Secrets of the Cosmos, coauthor Paul S. Wesson, 2006, ISBN 0-309-10137-9
What's Science Ever Done for Us?: What The Simpsons Can Teach Us About Physics, Robots, Life, and the Universe. John Wiley & Sons. 2007.pbk edition. 2011. ISBN 978-0-470-11460-5.
Collider: The Search for the World's Smallest Particles. John Wiley & Sons. 3 August 2009. ISBN 978-0-470-28620-3.
Edge of the Universe: A Voyage to the Cosmic Horizon and Beyond. John Wiley & Sons. 10 September 2012. ISBN 978-1-118-22082-5.
Einstein's Dice and Schrödinger's Cat: How Two Great Minds Battled Quantum Randomness to Create a Unified Theory of Physics. Basic Books. 14 April 2015. ISBN 9780465040650.
The Quantum Labyrinth: How Richard Feynman and John Wheeler Revolutionized Time and Reality. Basic Books. 17 October 2017. ISBN 9780465097593.
