Inside the Centre: The Life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (135 page)

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245
. ‘Alone in North America’: see ‘In Memoriam: George Michael Volkoff’, at:
http://www.cap.ca/pic/Archives/56.5(2000)/volkoff-Sept00.html

245
. Supernovae: helpful introductory accounts of this topic can be found in Asimov (1977), Luminet (1992) and Shipman (1976).

246
. appeared in
ad
1054: see Luminet (1992), 87–90, and Shipman (1976), 44–8

246
. ‘cessation of its existence’: Baade and Zwicky (1934b), 76

246
. ‘the super-nova process’: ibid., 77

246
. Hans Bethe’s work: Bethe (1939)

247
. Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar: Luminet (1992), 75, Shipman (1976), 39

247
. ‘Stars and Nuclei’: Cassidy (2005), 174

247
. ‘The Source of Stellar Energy’: ibid.

247
. ‘nuclear transformations’: see ‘Minutes of the San Diego Meeting, June 22–24, 1938’,
Physical Review
, 54, 235–43 (1938)

248
. ‘On the Stability of Stellar Neutron Cores’: Oppenheimer and Serber (1938)

248
. ‘On Massive Neutron Cores’: Oppenheimer and Volkoff (1938)

248
. The present estimate: see Bernstein (2004), 47

248
. ‘I remember’: quoted Thorne (1994), 195

249
. ‘the question of what happens’: Oppenheimer and Volkoff (1938), 380

249
. ‘There would seem to be’: ibid., 380–1

249
. ‘require serious consideration’: ibid., 381

249
. ‘one of the great papers’: Bernstein (2004), 48

249
. ‘the best mathematician’: Serber (1998), 48

249
. ‘On Continued Gravitational Contraction’: Oppenheimer and Snyder (1939)

249
. ‘When all thermonuclear sources’: ibid., 455

250
. ‘The results’: JRO to GU, 5.2.1939, S & W, 209

250
. ‘The star thus’: Oppenheimer and Snyder (1939), 456

250
. the discovery in 1967: see Shipman (1976), 51–7

251
. Wheeler tried to talk to him: see Bernstein (2004), 50

10. Fission

252
. It began: there are many, many published accounts of the discovery of fission. Among the best and most interesting are those in: Frisch (1980), Jungk (1960), Kevles (1995), Rhodes (1988) and Sime (1996).

252
. 19 December 1938: see Sime (1996), 233

252
. ‘the emission’: quoted Rhodes (1988), 248

253
. ‘But it’s impossible’: Frisch, interviewed by Charles Weiner,
American Institute of Physics, New York City, 3 May 1967, AIP

254
. ‘consider it
perhaps
possible’: quoted Rhodes (1988), 261

255
. John Archibald Wheeler: see Wheeler (2000), Chapter 1, for a first-hand account of these events

255
. ‘We didn’t make long-distance calls’: Luis Alvarez, interviewed by Charles Weiner and Barry Richman, Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, 15 February 1967, AIP

256
. ‘I remember exactly’: ibid.

256
. ‘I played it’: ibid.

257
. ‘You must come to Berkeley’: Royal (1969), 76

257
. ‘I do not recall’: Rabi et al. (1969), 49

257
. ‘The U business’: JRO to Fowler,
c.
28.1.1939, S & W, 207–8

257
. ‘I remember very vaguely’: William A. Fowler, interviewed by Charles Weiner, Caltech, 8 June 1972, Session II

258
. ‘I think it really not too improbable’: JRO to GU, 5.2.1939, S & W, 209

258
. ‘Oppie would write’: Serber (1998), 57

259
. ‘a scrappy little man’: Michelmore (1969), 51

259
. ‘had originally started’: ibid.

259
. ‘New York Jews’: Pharr Davis (1969), 81

259
. ‘One Jew in the department’: see Serber (1998), 50

259
. Peters: see the obituary in
Current Science
, 64 (8), 25 April 1993

259
. ‘a person as crazy as you’: B & S, 167

260
. ‘On the basis of the data’: ibid., 168

260
. ‘there was on the blackboard’: Rhodes (1988), 274–5

260
. ‘Oppie gave some lectures’: William A. Fowler, interviewed by Charles Weiner, Caltech, 8 June 1972, Session II

260
. The theory: see Bohr and Wheeler (1939)

260
. ‘It was an exciting time’: Wheeler (2000), 21

260
. ‘Bombs and reactors’: ibid., 23

261
. ‘Now listen’: Rhodes (1988), 284

261
. an initial paper: Bohr (1939)

261
. ‘the number of neutrons’: quoted Rhodes (1988), 291

261
. ‘That night’: ibid., 292

262
. ‘Couldn’t you’: Laura Fermi (1961), 164

262
. ‘It can never be done’: quoted Rhodes (1988), 294

262
. two papers: see Joliot et al. (1939a and 1939b)

262
. ‘Fermi was adamant’: Rhodes (1998), 296

262
. German government imposed a ban: ibid.

262
. On 12 July 1939: Lanouette (1994), 198. Rhodes (1988), 304, gives the date as 16 July. As far as I know, there is no conclusive evidence either way. Lanouette concedes that the date ‘has long
been in dispute’ (518), but claims that his account ‘represents the latest assessment of the evidence’ (517).

263
. on 2 August: Lanouette (1994), 201. Rhodes (1988), 307, says that this second visit took place ‘probably on Sunday, July 30’.

263
. ‘it may become possible’: Einstein to Roosevelt, 2.8.1939. The letter is reproduced in full in Lanouette (1994), 205–6, and in Stoff et al. (1991), 18–19.

263
. 11 October 1939: Lanouette (1994), 209, Rhodes (1988), 313. On this date they are in perfect agreement. See also Jungk (1960), 106

263
. ‘What you are after’: Jungk (1960), 107. The many retellings of this exchange seem to be based on Jungk’s.

264
. a very thorough review: see Turner (1940)

264
. ‘Although less than a year’: ibid., 1

264
. ‘The more familiar’: Segrè (1993), 134

265
. ‘Lawrence was a tremendous influence’: quoted Pharr Davis (1969), 84

265
. ‘the disagreeable fact’: Heilbron and Seidel (1990), 472

266
. ‘the cyclotron man’: quoted Pharr Davis (1969), 69

266
. ‘For obvious reasons’: EOL, circulated letter to scientists, 7.2.1939, quoted Hodes et al. (1985), 24

266
. his next machine: see Pharr Davis (1969), 88

267
. Segrè reports: see Segrè (1993), 151

267
. ‘for the invention’: see
http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1939/lawrence.html

267
. When the award was presented: see Pharr Davis (1969), 88–93, and Heilbron and Seidel (1990), 485–93

267
. ‘unforeseen difficulties’: Heilbron and Seidel (1990), 482

267
. ‘synchrocyclotron’: see Pharr Davis (1969), 251

267
. ‘Talking politics’: Segrè (1993), 139

267
. ‘You have been having a very anxious time’: quoted Pharr Davis (1969), 85

268
. ‘I still think war is going to be avoided’: quoted VanDeMark (2003), 57

268
. ‘. . . was considered a demigod’: Segrè (1993), 138

268
. ‘Oppenheimer and his group’: ibid., 138–9

268
. ‘Oppenheimer and most of his acolytes’: ibid., 138

268
. ‘great Fascist’: ibid., 139

269
. ‘a wonderful contribution’: quoted Isserman (1993), 34

269
. ‘changing opinion’: ITMO, 10

269
. ‘did not mean’: ibid.

269
. ‘It was in the fall of 1939’: Chevalier (1965), 31–2

270
. ‘I know Charlie’: S & W, 211

270
. ‘took special pride in it’: for Griffiths’s memoir and Oppenheimer’s
Report
, see the documents collected by Gregg Herken at:
http://www.brotherhoodofthebomb.com/bhbsource/documents.html

271
. ‘Keep America Out’: Isserman (1993), 43

271
. ‘There has never been’: quoted Herken (2002), 32

271
. ‘Europe is in the throes of a war’: quoted ibid., 31–2

272
. ‘The time will come’: quoted above, on page 32

272
. ‘for some reason’: Chevalier (1965), 36

273
. ‘This is a time’: quoted Schweber (2000), 108

273
. ‘the first occasion’: ibid.

274
. ‘The Communists’: Isserman (1993), 64–5

274
. Isserman provides telling quotations: ibid., 65

274
. ‘Will not Hitler’: ibid., 66

275
. ‘subject to foreign control’: ibid., 68

275
. ‘the very acceptance’: ibid., 69

276
. ‘It is time now’: S & W, 213

276
. ‘fell in love with Robert’: Goodchild (1980), 39

276
. At the time: for Kitty’s life before she met Oppenheimer, the fullest sources are Michelmore (1969), Goodchild (1980) and, especially, B & S.

276
. ‘an impossible marriage’: quoted B & S, 161

276
. She had been born: the source for most of what follows is B & S, Chapter Eleven.

276
. ‘prince of a small principality’: B & S, 155

277
. ‘I fell in love’: ibid., 156

277
. ‘These were days of poverty’: Goodchild (1980), 38

277
. ‘Because of Joe’s insistence’: ibid.

277
. ‘As time went on’: ibid.

278
. ‘She literally collapsed’: B & S, 160

278
. ‘we met a very attractive girl’: Serber (1998), 51

278
. ‘Kitty might come alone’: ibid., 59

278
. ‘looking very aristocratic’: ibid., 59–60

278
. ‘a bitch’: B & S, 163

278
. ‘Kitty was a schemer’: Goodchild (1980), 39

279
. ‘the most despicable female’: Pais (1997), 242

279
. Steve Nelson: the main source of information about Nelson’s life is Nelson et al. (1981). Additional material is contained in B & S, which draws on an interview with Nelson, conducted by MJS, 17.6.1981. Herken (2002) contains further information drawn from FBI files.

280
. Oppenheimer was the featured speaker: B & S, 162

280
. ‘I’m going to marry’: ibid.

280
. Hoover had written to the Secretary: Isserman (1993), 89

280
. this led the FBI to Chevalier’s house: see B & S, 137

281
. Asked about this meeting in 1946: ITMO, 10

281
. again in 1950: ibid.

281
. he remembered it in some detail: ibid., 139

281
. ‘to acquaint the interested gentry’: ibid., 140

281
. ‘the big shot’: ‘Synopsis of Facts’, 28.3.1981, paper originating case, filed by R. E. Meyer, JRO (consulted at the Library of Congress)

281
. ‘persons to be considered’: memo from San Francisco FBI office to Hoover, 28.3.1981, JRO FBI file

281
. ‘I may be out of job’: S & W, 216

282
. ‘It was on our way’: Chevalier (1965), 41

282
. ‘we sat up’: ibid., 42

282
. ‘even now’: JRO to Edwin and Ruth Uehling, 17.5.1941, S & W, 216

282
. ‘I think we’ll go to war’: ibid., 217

282
. ‘I expect’: ibid.

282
. ‘You are going’: S & W, 216

283
. ‘theories of mesotron field’: ibid., 217

283
. the historian of science, Silvan Schweber: see Schweber (2008), 31, 152–3

283
. ‘but we are all agreed’: JRO to F. Wheeler Loomis, 13.5.1940, S & W, 211

283
. ‘a good physicist’: ibid., 212

284
. ‘asked Schiff searching questions’: Kelly (2006), 132

284
. ‘On more than a few occasions’: ibid., 133

284
. Julian Schwinger: for Schwinger’s life, see Mehra and Milton (2000) and the series of articles by Mehra, Milton and Rembiesa (Mehra et al. [1999a–e]). For an outline of his contributions to science, see Milton (2008), and for a detailed account of his work on QED, see Schweber (1994).

284
. ‘were wondering’: ibid.

285
. ‘thought Oppenheimer was a more interesting physicist’: Schweber (1994), 288

285
. ‘Oppenheimer was
the
name’: Mehra et al. (1999c), 932

286
. ‘was overwhelming’: ibid., 934

286
. ‘I spoke to Oppenheimer’: ibid., 934–5

286
. ‘At the early stage’: ibid., 934

287
. ‘After all’: ibid., 935

287
. a joint letter to the editor: Oppenheimer and Schwinger (1939)

287
. ‘Schiff was then’: Mehra et al. (1999c), 935–6

287
. ‘He wrote that letter’: ibid., 936

287
. ‘means no more’: ibid., 937

288
. ‘history might have developed differently’: ibid., 938