From Fission to Fusion and Beyond: Teller's Contributions to Applied Physics and Defense

摘要

THE discovery of nuclear fission in Germany in 1939 was a turning point for scientists. Nuclear physicists quickly recognized the potential for a fission weapon of previously unimagined power.rnIn 1939, Edward Teller was teaching quantum mechanics at George Washington University in Washington, DC. In the four years since completing his Ph.D. in theoretical mechanics, he had made groundbreaking contributions to chemical, nuclear, and solid-state physics. In the summer of 1939, Teller participated in Leo Szilard's famous visit with Albert Einstein, during which they encouraged Einstein to write to President Franklin D. Roosevelt about fission's possibilities as a weapon. Because Szilard did not drive, he asked his good friend Teller to chauffeur him to Einstein's home. Teller was happy to do so, but not for any political reasons. At that time, Teller was thoroughly apolitical.