Taking on the Stars: Teller's Contributions to Plasma and Space Physics

摘要

In Memoirs, Edward Teller recalls that the founding of Lawrence Livermore brought together physicists from two research areas: thermonuclear weapons design and controlled fusion. The broad set of physical processes studied in these fields also lies at the heart of astrophysics. Fusion reactions power the stars, and the temperatures and pressures occurring in stellar environments reflect those in an exploding nuclear device. As a result, insights made in one field often advance research in another.