Word: teller
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Dates: during 1950-1959
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Intent on those two aims-service to his adopted country and the cooperation of scientists in the pursuit of truth-Hungarian-born Scientist Teller carefully refrains from raking over the old controversy about whether an H-bomb should be attempted. He says he does not know enough to write of the political controversy over the H-bomb, "but I feel that great gratitude is due to the men who in those difficult weeks [after the Soviet atomic explosion about Sept. 1, 1949] arrived at the correct conclusions," i.e., to proceed with all possible speed toward the development...
From Bukharin to "Mike." His story of the bomb's long development contains the names of 58 men. Teller comes as close as security will let him to telling what each contributed. Highlights...
...Gamow's interest in stellar reactions led Hans Bethe to calculate systematically all thermonuclear reactions. Says Teller: "Gamow had invented a new kind of game for the physicists, and Bethe proved to be the champion...
...seemed unattainable. In 1938 Otto Hahn and Lise Meitner discovered nuclear fission, and their discovery led directly to the Abomb. And fission, with its intense release of energy, also suggested that conditions could be created under which thermonuclear reactions might occur. The late Enrico Fermi in 1942 suggested to Teller that fission could be used to start thermonuclear reaction in deuterium (heavy hydrogen). "After a few weeks of hard thought," Teller recalls, "I decided that deuterium could not be ignited by atomic bombs...
...same year, Teller went over his reasoning on this point with Emil Konopinski. They found loopholes. Later, after discussions with Oppenheimer and others, Konopinski suggested that tritium be considered instead of deuterium. "At that time it was a mere guess. It turned out to be an inspired one." These discussions were held at Berkeley, where Oppenheimer had gathered a group of distinguished theoretical physicists. Teller remembers the period wistfully. "The spirit of spontaneity, adventure and surprise of those weeks in Berkeley was never recaptured for me in the many years of hard work in which atomic bombs were developed...