Critical Assembly

A Technical History of Los Alamos During the Oppenheimer Years, 1943 1945

By: No Information Available

Write A Review

Paperback | 8 June 2004

At a Glance

Paperback
528 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 3.0

Paperback

RRP $69.95

$66.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $16.69 with

Ships in 7 to 10 business days

This volume is a lucid and accurate history of the technical research that led to the first atomic bombs. The authors explore how the 'critical assembly' of scientists, engineers and military personnel at Los Alamos, responding to wartime deadlines, collaborated to create a new approach to large-scale research. The book opens with an introduction laying out major themes. After a synopsis of the prehistory of the bomb project, from the discovery of nuclear fission to the start of the Manhattan Engineer District, and an overview of the early materials programme, the book examines the establishment of the Los Alamos Laboratory, the implosion and gun assembly programmes, nuclear physics research, chemistry and metallurgy, explosives, uranium and plutonium development, confirmation of spontaneous fission in pile-produced plutonium, the thermonuclear bomb, critical assemblies, the Trinity test, and delivery of the combat weapons. Readers interested in history of science will find this volume a crucial resource for understanding the underpinnings of contemporary science and technology. It is the third book in a trilogy consisting of The Birth of Particle Physics (1986) and Pions to Quarks (1989).

Industry Reviews

'Critical Assembly ... is a true historical record of an epic technical venture. I strongly recommend it.' Hans A. Bethe, Physics World

Shipping

	Standard Shipping	Express Shipping
Metro postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Regional postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95
Rural postcodes:	$9.99	$14.95

Orders over $79.00 qualify for free shipping.

How to return your order

At Booktopia, we offer hassle-free returns in accordance with our returns policy. If you wish to return an item, please get in touch with Booktopia Customer Care.

Additional postage charges may be applicable.

Defective items

If there is a problem with any of the items received for your order then the Booktopia Customer Care team is ready to assist you.

For more info please visit our Help Centre.

You Can Find This Book In

Non-Fiction Science Science in General History of Science Engineering & Technology Technology in General History of Engineering & Technology Other Technologies & Applied Sciences Military Engineering Ordnance Warfare & Defence Weapons & Equipment

Nuclear Weapons

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

Published: 11th October 1993

View Product

Introduction
Early research on fission, and overview: 1933û1943
The early materials program: 1933û1943
Setting up project Y: June 1942 to March 1943
Research in the first months of project Y: April to September 1943
Creating a wartime community: September 1943 to August 1944
The gun weapon: September 1943 to August 1944
The implosion program accelerates: September 1943 to July 1944
New hopes for the implosion weapon: September 1943 to July 1944
The nuclear properties of a fission weapon: September 1943 to July 1944
Uranium and plutonium: early 1943 to August 1944
The discovery of spontaneous fission in plutonium and the reorganisation of Los Alamos
Building the uranium bomb: August 1944 to July 1945
Exploring the plutonium implosion weapon: August 1944 to February 1945
Finding the implosion design: August 1944 to February 1945
Building the implosion gadget: March 1945 to July 1945
Critical assemblies and nuclear physics: August 1944 to July 1945
The test at Trinity: January 1944 to July 1945
Delivery: June 1943 to August 1945
The legacy of Los Alamos
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Critical Assembly

A Technical History of Los Alamos During the Oppenheimer Years, 1943 1945

At a Glance

Paperback

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

More in History of Science

A Short History of Nearly Everything 2.0

Alchemy

An Illustrated History of Elixirs, Experiments, and the Birth of Modern Science

The Butterfly Thief

adventure, empire, and Australia's greatest museum heist

The Story of Earth's Climate in 25 Discoveries

How Scientists Found the Connections Between Climate and Life

Sapiens

A Graphic History: Volume 1

Science Under Siege

how to fight the five most powerful forces that threaten our world

The Impossible Bomb

The Hidden History of British Scientists and the Race to Create an Atomic Weapon

A Short History of Nearly Everything

A journey through space and time

Material World

A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future

Crafting Medicine

Artisans, Knowledge, and the Common Man in Hieronymus Brunschwig's Books on Surgery and Distillation

Islanded

Britain, Sri Lanka, and the Bounds of an Indian Ocean Colony

Simply Genetics

Facts Made Fast

The Biggest Ideas in the Universe 2

Quanta and Fields

Human Nature

Nine Ways to Feel About Our Changing Planet

Longitude

Darwin on the Beagle

Ernest Rutherford and the Birth of Modern Physics

Destroyer of Worlds

The deep history of the nuclear age: 1895-1965

The Facemaker

One Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I

Color Charts

A History

Banks

A riveting account of one of the world's most famous explorers

Engines

The Inner Workings of Machines That Move the World

The Biggest Ideas in the Universe 1

Space, Time and Motion

Why Are We Like This?

An evolutionary search for answers to life's big questions

This product is categorised by