Fermi loved his motherland Italy, but at that time, under the rule of fascism, scientists were brutally persecuted and scientific research was not allowed. What is even more frightening is that the fascist government brutally persecuted Jews and people of Jewish descent. Fermi's wife is Jewish and his children are of Jewish descent. How dare Fermi go back to Italy? Fermi went to America to continue his research on microscopic particles. On one occasion, he learned from a secret information that the German chemist Otto? Hahn and Strassman are conducting nuclear fission experiments. Fermi immediately organized personnel to devote themselves to the study of nuclear reactions. Experiments show that 1 g uranium generates energy equivalent to burning 3 tons of coal and 200 kilograms of gasoline. That is to say, if it is used in the military, the explosive force produced by 1 gram of uranium is equivalent to the explosive force of 20 tons of TNT.
How terrible! If Hitler is allowed to make nuclear weapons with scientific achievements first, a worldwide disaster will be inevitable. The more Fermi thought about it, the more terrible it became. He wants to persuade the American government to build an atomic bomb as soon as possible to avoid possible disasters.
Like Fermi, American scientist szilard felt very uneasy. He regretted that people didn't pay attention to his warning in earlier years.
As early as 1933, when the split nucleus was still unclear in physics, szilard imagined that if an element could be found, its nucleus would not only split and release energy after absorbing a neutron, but also release several new neutrons in the process of splitting. Then, if these neutrons bombard more nuclei, they will release more energy and produce more neutrons. The energy released by such division one after another is extremely terrible. Therefore, he warned his colleagues around him that this kind of nuclear fission research, like the mythical fisherman in Arabian Nights, is opening the cork. Once the devil escapes from the bottle, it will have unpredictable consequences for human survival.
But at that time, szilard's concerns did not receive a positive response from the scientific community. Some scientists believe that szilard's worries are undoubtedly "talking about loot before the fortress is captured" and "premature worry". Even the great physicist Einstein didn't realize this. 1934, when someone asked about the practical application value of atomic energy, the funny Einstein made an analogy: "It was just catching birds in the dark." Now, the result of nuclear attack is likely to be used as a weapon of war by the "murderer".
Can't wait any longer! Fermi and szilard immediately visited the great scientist Einstein. They hope to listen to Einstein's point of view and persuade the government to start developing nuclear weapons as soon as possible through him.
At this time, Einstein also expressed great concern. He immediately wrote to President Roosevelt:
"I read Fermi and szilard's recent research manuscript. This makes me predict that elemental uranium will become a new and important energy source in the future. Considering this situation, people should be vigilant. When necessary, the government must also act quickly. Therefore, it is my duty to remind you that in the near future, it is possible to create a powerful new bomb. " After the letter was written, Einstein handed it to Roosevelt's close friend and financier saxophone, and asked him to forward the letter and tell the president about the stakes.
It is disappointing that President Roosevelt is not interested in this matter. He said he didn't understand the profound scientific theory mentioned in the letter. Saks repeatedly explained the importance to him. It was not until the end that President Roosevelt said, "All this is interesting, but it seems too early for the government to get involved in this matter at this stage." Saxophone doesn't give up. When we met again at breakfast the next day, Roosevelt said to saxophone first, "What's your brilliant idea? How long does it take you to finish your speech? " When he handed the knife and fork to saxophone, he said, "Don't talk about Einstein's letter today, don't talk about a word, understand? Ok, let's not talk about this. " Sachs adopted a circuitous strategy. "I want to tell a historical story." Then, he cleverly told President Roosevelt that the French emperor Napoleon lost the opportunity to cross the English Channel and conquer Britain because he didn't notice Fulton's steam engine warship. This is the result of not paying attention to advanced scientific and technological achievements. Roosevelt naturally knew the meaning of saxophone. The events in this story, like a historical alarm, rang in his ears. After listening, he handed a full glass of wine to saxophone and said, "You win!" " The success of saxophone's persuasion turned the first page in the history of human making atomic bombs. 193910 June19, President Roosevelt ordered the establishment of a special committee code-named "S- 1 1" and immediately began to develop atomic bombs.
In August 2008, the U.S. government formally formulated the Manhattan project to develop the atomic bomb. Fermi and many other outstanding physicists are devoted to their work.
On the basis of the original research, Fermi further discussed the small law of uranium fission reaction. 1942 65438+On February 2nd, Fermi conducted a nuclear reactor test, which was a complete success. This is the first time that mankind has realized a controllable nuclear reactor.
Later, physicist Oppenheimer secretly presided over the establishment of a huge atomic bomb test base in the desert of New Mexico in the Midwest of the United States.
1In July, 1996, after the efforts of tens of thousands of experts and technicians, the US government finally spent $2 billion to develop three atomic bombs nicknamed "skinny", "fat" and "little boy".
16 At 5: 30 on July, the first atomic bomb "Thin Man" exploded in the desert of New Mexico, USA. When the "thin man" exploded, the instantaneous flash lit up the mountain range 16 km away, and the mushroom cloud that followed rose to an altitude of 10,000 meters. The launching steel tower was completely evaporated by high temperature, and the 700-meter desert surface around the explosion site was melted into glass by hot flame, and a huge crater with a diameter of 1000 meters was formed on the launch site.
This destructive atomic bomb test succeeded! While scientists are happy, they feel inexplicably uneasy about its power. Even though Fermi had estimated its destructive power, he was still shocked by the explosion and felt unable to drive. A few days later, his eyes still twinkled with the shaking of heaven and earth.
Szilard, which once asked the United States to develop the atomic bomb immediately, first opposed the use of the atomic bomb. He believes that what he expected was that the United States had an atomic bomb before Germany, and now this goal has been achieved. Many honest and kind scientists agree with szilard. Then, a petition to ban the atomic bomb signed by 69 famous scientists, including szilard, was submitted to the then US President Truman.
However, scientists no longer have the right to control the fate of the atomic bomb.
On August 6, 2008, American bombers dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" from Hiroshima, Japan. Suddenly, Hiroshima became a sea of fire and the graves of more than 200,000 people. On August 9, the United States dropped the atomic bomb "Fatty" on Nagasaki, Japan, and Nagasaki became a ruin, with almost nothing left.
When the news came, Einstein, Fermi, szilard and other scientists were shocked and deeply guilty. They appealed that scientific and technological achievements should create a bright future for mankind, not be used to destroy mankind.