Revisiting the Frisch–Peierls Memorandum

IF 0.8 4区物理与天体物理 Q2 HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

The European Physical Journal H Pub Date : 2024-04-08 DOI:10.1140/epjh/s13129-024-00070-x

B. Cameron Reed

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This paper analyzes the physics of the famous 1940 Frisch–Peierls memorandum, which examined the possibility of creating a nuclear weapon utilizing a fast-neutron chain reaction with uranium-235. While Frisch and Peierls’ estimate of the critical mass was far too low, their analysis was fundamentally sound. I also survey the role of the memorandum in the overall history of wartime nuclear developments, and its prescient predictions of aspects of the Cold War.

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重温弗里施-佩尔斯备忘录

本文分析了著名的 1940 年弗里施-佩尔斯备忘录的物理学原理，该备忘录研究了利用铀-235 快速中子链式反应制造核武器的可能性。虽然弗里施和佩尔斯对临界质量的估计过低，但他们的分析从根本上讲是正确的。我还考察了该备忘录在整个战时核发展史中的作用，以及它对冷战某些方面的先见之明。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

The European Physical Journal H HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE-PHYSICS, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

CiteScore

1.60

自引率

10.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： The purpose of this journal is to catalyse, foster, and disseminate an awareness and understanding of the historical development of ideas in contemporary physics, and more generally, ideas about how Nature works. The scope explicitly includes: - Contributions addressing the history of physics and of physical ideas and concepts, the interplay of physics and mathematics as well as the natural sciences, and the history and philosophy of sciences, together with discussions of experimental ideas and designs - inasmuch as they clearly relate, and preferably add, to the understanding of modern physics. - Annotated and/or contextual translations of relevant foreign-language texts. - Careful characterisations of old and/or abandoned ideas including past mistakes and false leads, thereby helping working physicists to assess how compelling contemporary ideas may turn out to be in future, i.e. with hindsight.