Werner Heisenberg And The Heisenberg Uncertainty P — страница 6

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technology for a nuclear weapon. The Germanswanted all of the research to take place under one roof in Berlin, butHeisenberg protested and persuaded them to allow each scientist toconduct their research in their own laboratories. Already with thetechnology of fission, the first plan was to allow the bomb to simply bea runaway reactor, but it did not prove to be as easy as they had firstimagined. Through 1940 and 1941, the Heereswaffenamt was concentrating on twoline of research, how to make a chain-reacting pile, and how to separateU-235. Heisenberg wrote two papers for each subject. Both papersregarding separating U-235 suggested using heavy water as a moderator. He conceded that other pure substances such as various forms of carbonand other likewise pure elements. He

recommended using heavy waterbecause of its low neutron absorption rate and would therefore requireless uranium. On June 23, 1942, Heisenberg s laboratory in Leipzig underwent a slightcatastrophe. Near six o clock, Heisenberg s assistant interrupted hisweekly seminar to tell him that he should come to see his laboratory. Once they arrived, Heisenberg noticed that bubbles were emerging fromthe pile called L-IV. All had gone as expected for the twenty days thatthe sphere had already been emerged. They tested the gas that wasleaking, and discovered that it was hydrogen. Both men concluded thatthe seal in the sphere containing the uranium oxide had been broken. The lab mechanic helped lift the sphere out of the moderator. He thenunscrewed the metal cover to remove the uranium oxide

and there was ahissing sound like air rushing into a vacuum. For a couple secondsnothing happened, then flames and gas bust out around the cover, spewingburning particles of uranium around the laboratory. They dowsed theflames, and they slowly subsided. Then the lab assistant, RobertD pel, tried to salvage the precious heavy water from inside thesphere. Heisenberg concluded that oxygen must have seeped into thesphere, so not knowing what else to do Heisenberg had his assistantlower the sphere back into the tank to keep it away from oxygen and tokeep it cool. Later when observing the sphere, Heisenberg and D pelnoticed the steam threateningly rise from the water in the tank. Nextthey saw the pile within shudder, then swell. Without having to sayanything, both men leapt for the

door in one motion. Seconds later, thesound of an explosion rushed from the laboratory. Burning uranium flewaround the laboratory and set the whole building on fire. The force ofthe explosion split the sphere apart which severed a hundred bolts. Thefire within the sphere continued for two days until it finally diedaway. With extensive damage done to his laboratory, many of hisexperiments in effect were delayed. Despite all of his hard work forthe development of nuclear weapons, he was not able to produce asuccessful model by the end of World War II. After the war, Heisenberg was interned in Britain with other leadingGerman scientists. In 1946, he returned to Germany where he wasappointed director of the Max Planck Institute for Physics andAstrophysics at G ttingen. In 1958, the

institute moved to Munich andHeisenberg continued to be its director. Werner Heisenberg was an exceptional physicist that made many leapsforward in the knowledge of quantum mechanics. From a young prodigygrowing up in Munich through his very successful career in the field oftheoretical physics. His unsuccessfulness of creating powerful nuclearweapons ended up benefiting man kind. Through his career, Heisenbergremained controversial on many of his theories because he did not alwaysfollow the orthodox laws of physics. This allowed him to be able todevelop his uncertainty principle and other models of the atom that hecreated throughout his life. On the first day of February 1976, WernerHeisenberg the renowned physicist died in Munich Germany. His work isstill highly regarded by

physicists today and his notoriety willcontinue years to come.