[PDF] Atomic Fragments eBook

Author : Mary Palevsky
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 312 pages
File Size : 24,91 MB
Release : 2000-06-29
Category : History
ISBN : 9780520923652

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More than most of us, Mary Palevsky needed to come to terms with the moral complexities of the atomic bomb: Her parents worked on its development during World War II and were profoundly changed by that experience. After they died, unanswered questions sent their daughter on a search for understanding. This compelling, sometimes heart-wrenching chronicle is the story of that quest. It takes her, and us, on a journey into the minds, memories, and emotions of the bomb builders. Scientists Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Joseph Rotblat, Herbert York, Philip Morrison, and Robert Wilson, and philosopher David Hawkins responded to Palevsky's personal approach in a way that dramatically expands their previously published statements. Her skill and passion as an interlocutor prompt these men to recall their lives vividly and to reexamine their own decisions, debating within themselves the complex issues raised by the bomb. The author herself, seeking to comprehend the widely differing ways in which individual scientists made choices about the bomb and made sense of their work, deeply reconsiders those questions of commitment and conscience her parents faced. In personal vignettes that complement the interviews, she captures other remembrances of the bomb through commemorative events and chance encounters with people who were "there." Her concluding chapter reframes the crucial moral questions in terms that show the questions themselves to be the abiding legacy we all share. This beautifully written book bridges generations to make its readers participants in the ongoing dialogue about science and philosophy, war and peace.

Author : Mary Palevsky
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 304 pages
File Size : 31,56 MB
Release : 2000-06-29
Category : History
ISBN : 0520220552

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"Scientists Hans Bethe, Edward Teller, Joseph Rotblat, Herbert York, Philip Morrison, and Robert Wilson, and philosopher David Hawkins, responded to Palevsky's personal approach in a way that dramatically expands their previously published statements."--BOOK JACKET.

Author : Colm T. Whelan
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 35,8 MB
Release : 2012-12-13
Category : Science
ISBN : 113961939X

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Revolutionary advances in experimental techniques and spectacular increases in computer power over recent years have enabled researchers to develop a much more profound understanding of the atomic few-body problem. One area of intense focus has been the study of fragmentation processes. Covering the latest research in the field, this edited text is the first to provide a focussed and systematic treatment of fragmentation processes, bringing together contributions from a range of leading experts. As well as tackling the more established electron-impact ionization processes, (e,2e), this book also guides the reader through topics such as molecular fragmentation, ion-atom collisions and multi-photon processes. Combining a broad range of topics with an equal mix of theoretical and experimental discussion, this is an invaluable text for graduate students and researchers in atomic collisions, laser physics and chemistry.

Author : J. Samuel Walker
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 548 pages
File Size : 36,43 MB
Release : 1992-01-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780520079137

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The late 1960s saw an extraordinary growth in the American nuclear industry: dozens of plants of unprecedented size were ordered throughout the country. Yet at the same time, public concern about the natural environment and suspicion of both government and industry increased dramatically. Containing the Atom is the first scholarly history of nuclear power regulation during those tumultuous years. J. Samuel Walker focuses on the activities of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the agency entrusted with the primary responsibility for the safety of nuclear power, and shows that from the beginning the AEC faced a paradox: it was charged with both promoting and controlling the nuclear power industry. Out of this paradox grew severe tensions, which Walker discusses in detail. His balanced evaluation of the issues and the positions taken by the AEC and others makes this study an invaluable resource for all those interested in the continuing controversies that surround nuclear energy. The late 1960s saw an extraordinary growth in the American nuclear industry: dozens of plants of unprecedented size were ordered throughout the country. Yet at the same time, public concern about the natural environment and suspicion of both government and industry increased dramatically. Containing the Atom is the first scholarly history of nuclear power regulation during those tumultuous years. J. Samuel Walker focuses on the activities of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, the agency entrusted with the primary responsibility for the safety of nuclear power, and shows that from the beginning the AEC faced a paradox: it was charged with both promoting and controlling the nuclear power industry. Out of this paradox grew severe tensions, which Walker discusses in detail. His balanced evaluation of the issues and the positions taken by the AEC and others makes this study an invaluable resource for all those interested in the continuing controversies that surround nuclear energy.

Author : Kris Heyde
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 203 pages
File Size : 15,49 MB
Release : 2013-03-09
Category : Science
ISBN : 3662036339

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The present text grew out of a number of lecture courses for advanced under graduate and new graduate students in nuclear physics. They were given at summer schools in Leuven, Melbourne, and at study weeks for Dutch grad uate students which aimed to emphasize fundamental and topical aspects of nuclear physics. On occasion, part of the present text was presented to stu dents from a much wider field than just nuclear physics and also within a number of general physics colloquia, where, in addition to nuclear physicists, physicists from many other fields were present. In this respect, the intention is to present, in an amply illustrated form, the key quest ions that arise in nuclear physics. At the same time we try to show why a better understanding of the atomic nucleus is not only important in itself, but also yields essential insights into the many connections to other fields of physics. We thus concen trate on the unifying themes rather than addressing in great detail particular subfields of nuclear physics. The present project does not aim to be another comprehensive textbook on nuclear physics: Many of the detailed technical arguments that enter into the picture are not developed here as they would be in a more standard textbook. Instead they are presented using analogies, quite often with simple pictures and arguments that try to convey the general line of thinking and working in nuclear physics.