The birth of the nuclear age

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Physics Today; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.881378· OSTI ID:6770343

Wattenberg, A ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Illinois, Urbana (United States)

Fifty years ago last month Enrico Fermi demonstrated that a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction could be produced and controlled. It was Leo Szilard who sought financial support to develop then-hypothetical processes relating to nuclear chain reactions and Szilard arranged for physicists to perform relevant experiments. This article discusses the historical events leading to the demonstration of the first self-sustaining uranium pile from the viewpoint of a physicist who had joined Fermi's group at Columbia University in January 1942. 11 refs., 7 figs.

• OSTI ID: 6770343
• Journal Information: Physics Today; (United States), Vol. 46:1; ISSN 0031-9228
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
CHAIN REACTIONS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
URANIUM
CHICAGO
NUCLEAR PHYSICS
SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL
ACTINIDES
ANIMALS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ELEMENTS
ILLINOIS
MAMMALS
MAN
METALS
NORTH AMERICA
PERSONNEL
PHYSICS
PRIMATES
PROFESSIONAL PERSONNEL
URBAN AREAS
USA
VERTEBRATES
663470* - Fission- (1992-)