1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910337875003321

Autore

Reed Bruce Cameron

Titolo

The History and Science of the Manhattan Project [[electronic resource] /] / by Bruce Cameron Reed

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Berlin, Heidelberg : , : Springer Berlin Heidelberg : , : Imprint : Springer, , 2019

ISBN

3-662-58175-2

Edizione

[2nd ed. 2019.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (XVIII, 538 p. 190 illus., 27 illus. in color.)

Collana

Undergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics, , 2192-4791

Disciplina

539.709

Soggetti

Física nuclear

Història de la física

Nuclear physics

Heavy ions

Physics

Nuclear chemistry

Nuclear Physics, Heavy Ions, Hadrons

History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics

Nuclear Chemistry

Llibres electrònics

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di contenuto

Introduction and Overview -- A Short History of Nuclear Physics to the Mid-1930s -- The Discovery and Interpretation of Nuclear Fission -- Organizing the Manhattan Project, 1939-1943 -- Oak Ridge, CP-1, and the Clinton Engineer Works -- The Hanford Engineer Works -- Los Alamos, Trinity, and Tinian -- Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- The German Nuclear Program -- The Legacy of Manhattan -- Glossary -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

The development of atomic bombs under the auspices of the U.S. Army’s Manhattan Project during World War II is considered to be the outstanding news story of the twentieth century. In this book, a physicist and expert on the history of the Project presents a comprehensive overview of this momentous achievement. The first three chapters cover the history of nuclear physics from the discovery of radioactivity to the discovery of fission, and would be ideal for



instructors of a sophomore-level “Modern Physics” course. Student-level exercises at the ends of the chapters are accompanied by answers. Chapter 7 covers the physics of first-generation fission weapons at a similar level, again accompanied by exercises and answers. For the interested layman and for non-science students and instructors, the book includes extensive qualitative material on the history, organization, implementation, and results of the Manhattan Project and the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing missions. The reader also learns about the legacy of the Project as reflected in the current world stockpiles of nuclear weapons. This second edition contains important revisions and additions, including a new chapter on the German atomic bomb program and new sections on British and Canadian contributions to the Manhattan project and on feed materials. Several other sections have been expanded; reader feedback has been helpful in introducing minor corrections and improved explanations; and, last but not least, the second edition includes a detailed index. .