Discovery Of Fission Research Articles

The complementarity of the bomb

Neils Bohr once remarked that goal of science is not universal truth, a goal that arrangement of natural world in any case makes unobtainable. Rather, Bohr thought goal of science is the gradual removal of prejudices. One of those prejudices is war. The discovery of nuclear fission has contributed decisively to its gradual removal.

Nuclear fission and transuranium elements: 50 years ago

Some five years before the discovery of nuclear fission, as a first-year graduate student at Berkely in 1934, I began to read the papers coming out of Italy and Germany describing the synthesis and identification of several elements thought to be transuranium elements.

Review: The American Atom: A Documentary History of Nuclear Policies from the Discovery of Fission to the Present, 1939-1984, by Robert C. Williams and Philip L. Cantelon

Review: <i>The American Atom: A Documentary History of Nuclear Policies from the Discovery of Fission to the Present, 1939-1984</i>, by Robert C. Williams and Philip L. Cantelon

The Day the Sun Rose Twice: The Story of the Trinity Site Nuclear Explosion, July 16, 1945. Ferenc Morton SzaszThe American Atom: A Documentary History of Nuclear Policies from the Discovery of Fission to the Present, 1939-1984. Robert C. Williams, Philip L. Cantelon

<i>The Day the Sun Rose Twice: The Story of the Trinity Site Nuclear Explosion, July 16, 1945</i>. Ferenc Morton Szasz<i>The American Atom: A Documentary History of Nuclear Policies from the Discovery of Fission to the Present, 1939-1984</i>. Robert C. Williams, Philip L. Cantelon

Entering the Nuclear Arms Race: The Soviet Decision to Build the Atomic Bomb, 1939-45

This paper traces the path from the discovery of nuclear fission in Berlin in December 1938 to the Soviet decision of August 1945 to launch an all-out effort to develop the atomic bomb. There were, properly speaking, three main Soviet decisions during this period. The first was taken in 1940, when senior members of the Academy of Sciences decided not to turn to the government for funds for an expanded programme of research into nuclear fission. The second was taken in 1942, when Stalin, after learning of German, British and American work, approved a small-scale effort to develop the atomic bomb. The third decision was that of August 1945, when Stalin asked those in charge of the 'uranium problem' to break the American atomic monopoly as quickly as possible.

The physical and chemical aspects of the search for superheavy elements

Abstract

Einstein's life in pictures

The year 1879 was a remarkable one for the sciences. James Clerk Maxwell's death in November had been more than compensated by four notable births during the previous year: Max von Laue on 9 October, Albert Einstein and Otto Hahn on 14 and 12 March, and Lise Meitner on 7 November, 1878. All four worked as friends and colleagues for many years at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin. Together with Max Planck, Walther Nernst and others they formed one of the most prestigious groups of scientists in the world. Laue discovered the interference of x rays. Hahn and Meitner worked side by side on nuclear chemistry; their work led to the discovery of nuclear fission.

Fission of heavy nuclei

Work at the Institute of Radium on the fission of heavy nuclei in the low- and intermediate-energy range from the discovery of fission up to the present is briefly reviewed. Comments on the mechanism of fission are made. (RWR)

Lise Meitner, 1878-1968

Lise Meitner’s name has become widely known for her part in the discovery of nuclear fission, which made atomic power possible, as well as atomic weapons. But among physicists she had been known for many years as one of the early pioneers in the study of radioactivity. Einstein nicknamed her ‘the German Madame Curie’; but though most of her work was done in Berlin she came from Austria and retained her nationality through her life, even after she became a Swedish citizen about eight years before her death. She was born on 7 November 1878 in Vienna where she spent the first third of her life, a town to which she always remained very attached. Another third she worked in Germany. When Austria was occupied by the Nazis she found refuge in Sweden where she stayed for over 20 years. It was only at the age of 81 that she gave up scientific research and retired to England to live out the rest of her days in Cambridge, close to her eldest nephew (the author of this memoir). Her father was Dr Philipp Meitner, a respected lawyer and keen chess player. She was the third among eight children; thus she was used both to being ruled by her two older sisters and ruling over the younger children. Although her parents came from Jewish stock, her father was a freethinker, and the Jewish religion played no role in her education. Indeed, all the children were baptized, and Lise Meitner grew up as a protestant; in later years her views were very tolerant though she would not accept complete atheism.

Needs for a national policy

THIRTY YEARS AGO research in physics in the United States was a remote concern of government. Graduate students in this then pure science were the original do-it-yourself leaders and had to become as adept at begging and borrowing as they were in making equipment. Then came the discovery of fission, the second world war and the nuclear chain reaction. You well know the rest of the story. Congress was so impressed with the enormous new power derived from the science of physics that it enacted one of the most extraordinary laws in our history—the Atomic Energy Act of 1946.

The Los Alamos years

THE YEAR 1939 changed many things. It witnessed the beginning of the most destructive war in history. It has also changed science. Many physicists who never were interested in applications of science devoted their skills to the necessities of war and became applied physicists. They faced new problems, new experiences, different from the accustomed academic environment. But the deepest change in the character of our science came from the discovery of fission. Many of us hoped at that time—and Oppenheimer was one of them—that the number of neutrons released would have been small enough to prevent a chain reaction. But soon enough it was clear that, on the forefront of the most esoteric and basic part of our science, a phenomenon was discovered, full of tremendous destructive and constructive potentialities. It was not yet ready for exploitation; many staggering problems had to be solved, but the way was clearly indicated. Many physicists were drawn into this work, by fate and destiny rather than enthusiasm. A threat hung over us, the frightening possibility of finding this new and incredibly powerful weapon in the hands of the powers of evil, but there is no doubt that we were also attracted by the unique challenge of dealing with nuclear phenomena on a large scale, with taming an essentially cosmic process.

A Study of the Discovery of Fission

Nuclear fission was discovered twenty five years ago by Hahn and Strassmann. Was the road to the discovery as torturous as some have contended? The roots are examined; the surprising climax and its impact are described. Some scientists have commented on the discovery in retrospect. The discovery of fission is scrutinized both in the light of these comments, and of the general characteristics of scientific discovery.

Analogies between problems in reactor theory and electrical engineering

The growing application of nuclear energy to the generation of electric power makes it desirable for engineers to acquire an understanding of nuclear reactors. Although the nuclear reactor is a relatively new device, many analogies familiar to the engineer exist that may help acquaint him with reactor theory. It is worth noting that solutions to problems in reactor theory were obtained before the discovery of fission as solutions to other problems in physics and engineering <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">1</sup>

A survey of research on the transuranic elements

Abstract The history of the transuranic elements may perhaps be regarded as commencing with the discovery of nuclear fission on the eve of the last world war. Out of this epoch-making scientific development has come not only the exploitation of a new source of energy for both constructive and destructive purposes, but also the means by which a completely new field has been opened up for the speculation and experimentation of physicists, chemists, mathematicians and applied scientists.

The Effect of Radioactive Phosphorus upon the Development of the Teeth and Mandibular Joint of the Mouse

The discovery of nuclear fission and the subsequent production of radioactive iso­ topes have been hailed by biologists as the key to the understanding of many of the complex metabolic processes of living organisms. Radioactive phosphorus ( p 3 2 ) , which has been available for about ten years, is a beta emitter with a half life of 14.3 days. Because of the important role of phosphorus in the processes of osteogene­ sis and odontogenesis, it is apparent that radioactive phosphorus metabolized in the teeth and bone would continuously irradiate these structures. Although the biological effects of ioniz­ ing radiation produced by radioactive iso­ topes have been intensively studied in the past few years,1 a review of the literature reveals that histopathological studies of the teeth and supporting structures have not been undertaken. The project herein reported was under­ taken in order to study on a histopatho­ logical basis the alterations of structure and function of the odontogenic ap­ paratus and investing tissues in response to the internal administration of a beta emitter, radioactive phosphorus. Since beta rays are high speed electrons, this work is a study on the effect of electron bombardment of the developing oral tis­ sues. The mouse, which was selected as an experimental animal, has a monophyodont dentition with a dental formula consisting of incisor 1/1, cuspid 0/0, pre-

Liberation of Neutrons from Beryllium by X-Rays: Radioactivity Induced by Means of Electron Tubes

IT has been recently reported1 that neutrons are liberated from beryllium by -rays of radium and that these are able to induce radioactivity in iodine. Following up this work, we have attempted to liberate neutrons from beryllium by means of hard X-rays, produced by high-voltage electron tubes. An electron tube, which could conveniently be operated by a high-voltage impulse generator at several million volts2, is at present in use in the High Tension Laboratory of the A.E.G. in Berlin, and has served in the present experiment for the production of X-rays. In September 1934, Leo Szilard and T. H. Chalmers let gamma rays fall onto a beryllium target, noting that emissions from the target induced radioactivity in iodine. "We conclude," they wrote, "that neutrons are liberated from beryllium by gamma rays." Two months later, A. Brasch and colleagues, including Szilard and Chalmers, reported a similar effect using X-rays rather than gamma rays. More ominously, the existence of neutron-induced radioactivity also suggested the possibility of neutron chain-reactions — using the neutrons emitted by radioactive elements to induce radioactivity, and liberate further neutrons, from other nuclei. The first demonstration came four years later, following the discovery of nuclear fission in uranium [see Nature 143, 239-240 (1939)].