Edward Teller: Father Of The Hydrogen Bomb

2007-05-02 10:04:19

( Education )



For those who were born much later in the twentieth century, the name Edward Teller may not ring a bell. You are more likely to know about Penn and Teller Las Vegas than Edward Teller, who for some time has been called in the press as the father of the hydrogen bomb. You may want to know a few things about this famous physicist.

Despite the association with the hydrogen bomb, Edward Teller's most substantive legacy to science is seen to be the detailed description of the Jahn-Teller Effect in 1937. This study describes with fine detail the distortion in geometric space that happens to electron clouds under certain situations. This study therefore helps scientists understand the chemical reactions that metals undergo, and finds practical use in manipulating the coloration of particular metallic dyes. In collaboration with two other scientists, Edward Teller also contributed substantially to the body of knowledge on surface physics and chemistry.

Edward Teller worked as a member of the team that developed the first atomic bomb in 1942. Even at that time, when the project was developing a nuclear fission bomb, Teller became passionate about the idea of a nuclear fusion bomb. It appears that the idea of a fusion bomb came to Teller through a nonchalant suggestion from the head of the project team that perhaps a nuclear fission weapon could be used to trigger a much bigger fusion reaction. For the next five years after the atomic bomb, Teller worked on the theoretical foundation for the fusion weapon without success.

Hearing about the calculations and ideas of another scientist, Edward Teller seized upon them and these developed into the world's first hydrogen bomb. Teller was not chosen for the development team on the hydrogen bomb. Though brilliant, the scientist possessed a thorny personality and often got into squabbles with colleagues.


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