The Physics of the Manhattan Project

B. Cameron Reed (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

XIII, 170 Seiten

2010 | 2nd ed. 2011
Springer Berlin (Verlag)
978-3-642-14708-1 (ISBN)

Infos

The development of nuclear weapons during the Manhattan Project is one of the most significant scientific events of the twentieth century. This book, prepared by a gifted teacher of physics, explores the challenges that faced the members of the Manhattan project. In doing so it gives a clear introduction to fission weapons at the level of an upper-level undergraduate physics student. Details of nuclear reactions, their energy release, the fission process, how critical masses can be estimated, how fissile materials are produced, and what factors complicate bomb design are covered. An extensive list of references and a number of problems for self-study are included. Links are given to several spreadsheets with which users can run many of the calculations for themselves.

Inhalt

Preface
Part 1. Energy Release in Nuclear Reactions, Neutrons,
Fission, and Characteristics of Fission
1.1 Notational Conventions for Mass Excess and Q-Values
1.2 Rutherford and the Energy Release in Radium Decay
1.3 Rutherford’s First Artificial Nuclear Transmutation
1.4 Discovery of the Neutron
1.5 Artificially-Induced Radioactivity and the Path to Fission
1.6 Energy Release in Fission
1.7 The Bohr-Wheeler Theory of Fission: The Z2/A Limit Against Spontaneous Fission
1.8 Energy Spectrum of Fission Neutrons
1.9 Leaping the Fission Barrier
1.10 A Semi-Empirical Look at the Fission Barrier
Part 2. Critical Mass and Efficiency
2.1 Neutron Mean Free Path
2.2 Critical Mass: Diffusion Theory
2.3 Effect of Tamper
2.4 Estimating Bomb Efficiency - Analytic
2.5 Estimating Bomb Efficiency – Numerical
2.6 Another Look at Untamped Criticality: Just One Number
Part 3. Producing Fissile Material
3.1 Reactor Criticality
3.2 Neutron Thermalization
3.3 Plutonium Production
3.4 Electromagnetic Separation of Isotopes
3.5 Gaseous (Barrier) Diffusion
Part 4. Complicating Factors
4.1 Boron Contamination in Graphite
4.2 Spontaneous Fission of 240Pu, Predetonation, and Implosion
4.3 Tolerable Limits for Light-Element Impurities
Part 5. Miscellaneous Calculations
5.1 How Warm Is It?
5.2 Brightness of the Trinity Explosion
5.3 A Model for Trace Isotope Production in a Reactor
Appendix A Selected -Values and Fission Barriers
Appendix B Densities, Cross-Sections, and Secondary Neutron Numbers
Appendix C Energy and Momentum Conservation in a Two-Body Collision
Appendix D Energy and Momentum Conservation in a Two-Body Collision That Produces a
Gamma-Ray
Appendix E Formal Derivation of the Bohr-Wheeler Spontaneous Fission Limit
Appendix F Average Neutron Escape Probability From Within a Sphere
Appendix G The Neutron Diffusion Equation
Appendix H Questions and Answers
Appendix I Further Reading
Appendix J Useful Constants and Conversion Factors

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 9.10.2010
• Zusatzinfo: XIII, 170 p. 45 illus.
• Verlagsort: Berlin
• Sprache: englisch
• Original-Titel: The Physics of the Manhattan Project
• Maße: 155 x 235 mm
• Gewicht: 420 g
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Chemie ► Physikalische Chemie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Physik / Astronomie ► Atom- / Kern- / Molekularphysik
• Schlagworte: Calculate Critical Mass Bomb • History of the Atomic Bomb • Manhattan Project • Manhattan Project Calculations • nuclear fission • Nuclear Research in the Forties • nuclear weapons • Oppenheimer Physics • Wartime Physics at Los Alamos
• ISBN-10: 3-642-14708-9 / 3642147089
• ISBN-13: 978-3-642-14708-1 / 9783642147081
• Zustand: Neuware