Yu Min, known as the father of China's hydrogen bomb, not only solved and broke through a series of basic problems in the physics of thermonuclear weapons in the principle of hydrogen bombs, but also put forward a basic and complete idea from principle to configuration, and then participated in it for a long time. He led theoretical research on nuclear weapons and solved a large number of key theoretical issues.
One: For most people, the name Yu Min is not familiar, but in the field of my country's nuclear weapons, he is known as the father of the hydrogen bomb. He began to devote himself to national defense construction in 1961 and has been studying hard for more than half a century. He said that the country needs me, and I have always gone all out, so I have been working in the field of weapons research.
Two: Yu Min was admitted to the Department of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering of Peking University School of Engineering in 1944, and then transferred to the Department of Physics. In 1961, Qian Sanqiang, then deputy minister of the National Secondary Department, found Yu Min and gave him a confidential job: to prepare for my country's hydrogen bomb development. At that time, our country's technical conditions in all aspects were quite backward, and there was almost zero information from all parties. Yu Min started from scratch, collecting as much relevant information from abroad as possible and doing his best to conduct theoretical research and design exploration of the hydrogen bomb. He said that the hydrogen bomb has engineering problems, technical problems, and scientific problems. It is a cutting-edge technology that has all three, so there are a lot of things to learn, and there are many things I don’t understand.
Three: For Yu Min, work is almost all of his life. In order to get an accurate data, he even lay down on the ground and drew characteristic lines one by one, and then immediately explained to everyone that Yu Min works day and night. Sometimes, due to a sudden inspiration, he gets up in the middle of the night and works at his desk. During an experiment, he suddenly discovered that one of the data in the original design might have a problem, but at this time the test device had been lowered into the shaft. Knowing that he would be held responsible, he immediately reported to his superiors and asked for a suspension of the experiment. After a day and night of troubleshooting, he finally solved the problem. He showed a satisfied smile and reported to his superiors to continue the experiment.
Yu Min has received numerous honors in his life, including the first prize of the National Natural Science Award, the China Outstanding Scientist Award, the Medal of Merit for Two Bombs and One Satellite, and the 2014 Person of the Year who Touched China, etc. His spirit of contributing to China's scientific and technological undertakings, his broad mind and perseverance are all worth learning from.