E-Book Overview
From Nuclear Transmutation to Nuclear Fission, 1932-1939 deals with a particular phase in the early history of nuclear physics: the race among four laboratory teams to be the first to achieve the transmutation of atomic nuclei with artificially accelerated nuclear projectiles (protons) in high-voltage discharge tubes. This volume covers the background of the development of particle accelerators in the 1920s, the growth of the laboratories and their teams, the race itself, and its aftermath. The book provides an overview of the history of nuclear physics, from Ernest Rutherford's nuclear atom of 1911 to nuclear fission on the eve of World War II. It focuses on the details of the laboratory race, which was won by the English team in 1932. The volume also covers the reaction of the different laboratories to the discovery of nuclear fission, their wartime roles, and a brief epilogue on the later careers of the principal personalities.
E-Book Content
From Nuclear Transmutation to Nuclear Fission, 1932–1939
Also by Per F Dahl Ludvig Colding and The Conservation of Energy Principle: Experimental and Philosophical Contributions (1972) Superconductivity: its Historical Roots and Development from Mercury to the Ceramic Oxides (1992) American Institute of Physics Flash of the Cathode Rays: A History of J J Thomson’s Electron (1997) Institute of Physics Publishing Heavy Water and the Wartime Race for Nuclear Energy (1999) Institute of Physics Publishing
Related Titles published by Institute of Physics Publishing Cockcroft and the Atom G Hartcup and T E Allibone The Origin of the Concept of Nuclear Forces L M Brown and H Rechenberg The Defining Years in Nuclear Physics, 1932–1960s M Mladjenovic´ Operation Epsilon: The Farm Hall Transcripts Edited by Sir Charles Frank Radar Days E G Bowen Echoes of War: The Story of H2 S Radar Sir Bernard Lovell Boffin: A Personal Story o