Worlds Within Worlds: The Story of Nuclear Energy, Volume 3

Physical theory makes it seem that particles and antiparticles ought to exist in the universe in equal quantities. Yet on earth (and, we can be quite certain, in the rest of the solar system and even, very likely, in the rest of the galaxy) protons, neutrons, and electrons are common, while antiprotons, antineutrons, and positrons are exceedingly rare. Could it be that when the universe was first formed there were indeed equal quantities of particles and antiparticles but that they were somehow segregated, perhaps into galaxies and “antigalaxies”? If so, there might occasionally be collisions of a galaxy and an antigalaxy with the evolution of vast quantities of energy as mutual annihilation on a cosmic scale takes place. There are, in fact, places in the heavens where radiation is unusually high in quantity and in energy. Can we be witnessing such enormous mutual annihilation? Indeed, it is not altogether inconceivable that we may still have new types of forces and new sources of energy to 164 discover. Until about 1900, no one suspected the existence of nuclear energy. Are we quite sure now that nuclear energy brings us to the end, and that there is not a form of energy more subtle still, and greater? In 1962, for instance, certain puzzling objects called “quasars” were discovered far out in space, a billion light-years or more away from us. Each one shines from 10 to 100 times as brilliantly as an entire ordinary galaxy does, and yet may be no more than a hundred-thousandth as wide as a galaxy. This is something like finding an object 10 miles across that delivers as much total light as 100 suns. It is very hard to understand where all that energy comes from and why it should be concentrated into so tiny a volume. Astronomers have tried to explain it in terms of the four interactions now known, but is it possible that there is a fifth greater than any of the four? If so, it is not impossible that eventually man’s restless brain may come to understand and even utilize it. FOOTNOTES [1]See The First Reactor, another booklet in this series. [2]See Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Power Plants, companion booklets in this series. [3]See Breeder Reactors, another booklet in this series. [4]See Thorium—and the Third Fuel, another booklet in this series. [5]See Controlled Nuclear Fusion, another booklet in this series. QUOTATION CREDIT Inside front cover Copyright © by Abelard-Shuman, Ltd., New York. Reprinted by permission from Inside the Atom, Isaac Asimov, 1966. 165 READING LIST Basic Books Basic Laws of Matter (revised edition), Harrie S. W. Massey and Arthur R. Quinton, Herald Books, Bronxville, New York, 1965, 178 pp., $3.75. Grades 7-9. A nontechnical presentation of atoms and the laws governing their behavior. Biography of Physics, George Gamow, Harper & Row, Publishers, New York, 1961, 338 pp., $6.50 (hardback); $2.75 (paperback). Grades 9-12. A history of theoretical physics. Discoverer of X Rays: Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen, Arnulf K. Esterer, Julian Messner, New York, 1968, 191 pp., $3.50. Grades 7-10. This interesting biography includes a brief, but very helpful, pronouncing gazetteer of the German, Swiss, and Dutch names in the text. Ernest Rutherford: Architect of the Atom, Peter Kelman and A. Harris Stone, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1969, 72 pp., $3.95. Grades 5-7. A well-done biography of this famous atomic scientist. Many of the drawings illustrate theoretical ideas very well for the elementary grades. A glossary is included. Enrico Fermi: Atomic Pioneer, Doris Faber, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1966, 86 pp., $3.95. Grades 5-8. A biography of the man who built the first reactor. Giant of the Atom: Ernest Rutherford, Robin McKown, Julian Messner, New York, 1962, 191 pp., $3.50. Grades 7-12. The life and accomplishments of a great physicist. The History of the Atomic Bomb, Michael Blow, American Heritage Publishing Company, Inc., New York, 1968, 150 pp., $5.95. Grades 5-9. This sumptuously illustrated history provides an informative explanation of nuclear physics in addition to comprehensive coverage of the bomb’s development and use. 166 Inside the Atom, Isaac Asimov, Abelard-Schuman, Ltd., New York, 1966, 197 pp., $4.00. Grades 7-10. This comprehensive, well-written text explains nuclear energy and its applications. Madame Curie: A Biography, Eve Curie, translated by Vincent Sheean, Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York, 1937, 385 pp., $5.95 (hardback); $0.95 (paperback). Grades 9-12. This superb biography, which won the 1937 National Book Award for Nonfiction, illustrates dramatically the full spectrum of Marie Curie’s life. Men Who Mastered the Atom, Robert Silverberg, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1965, 193 pp., $3.49. Grades 7-9. Atomic energy history is told through the work of pioneer scientists from Thales to present-day researchers. The Neutron Story, Donald J. Hughes, Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York, 1959, 158 pp., out of print. Grades 7-9. A substantial and interesting account of neutron physics. Niels Bohr: The Man Who Mapped the Atom, Robert Silverberg, MacRae Smith Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1965, 189 pp., $3.95. Grades 8-12. An exciting, suspenseful, and humorous biography of one of the pioneers in atomic energy. Includes a glossary and references. The Questioners: Physicists and the Quantum Theory, Barbara Lovett Cline, Crowell Collier and MacMillan, Inc., New York, 1965, 274 pp., $5.00 (hardback); available in paperback with the title Men Who Made A New Physics: Physicists and the Quantum Theory, New American Library, Inc., New York, $0.75. Grades 9-12. An exceptionally well-delineated and personable account of the development of the quantum theory by physicists in the first quarter of this century. The Restless Atom, Alfred Romer, Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York, 1960, 198 pp., $1.25. Grades 9-12. A 167 stimulating nonmathematical account of the classic early experiments that advanced knowledge about atomic particles. Roads to Discovery, Ralph E. Lapp, Harper and Row, Publishers, New York, 1960, 191 pp., out of print. Grades 10-12. Historical survey of nuclear physics beginning with Roentgen’s discovery of X rays and concluding with the discoveries of the rare elements. Secret of the Mysterious Rays: The Discovery of Nuclear Energy, Vivian Grey, Basic Books, Inc., Publishers, New York, 1966, 120 pp., $3.95. Grades 4-8. This outstanding history of nuclear research from Roentgen to Fermi is dramatically presented. The uncertainty of the unknown, the accidental discovery and the often lengthy and tedious research are woven in this story of scientists from around the world who pooled their knowledge and experience to unlock “the secrets of the mysterious rays”. Wilhelm Roentgen and the Discovery of X Rays, Bern Dibner, Franklin Watts, Inc., New York, 1968, 149 pp., $2.95. Grades 5-8. This detailed biography, illustrated with line drawings, historical photographs, and papers, is a fine addition to Watts’ “Immortals of Science” Series. Working with Atoms, Otto R. Frisch, Basic Books, Inc., New York, 1965, 96 pp., $4.95. Grades 9-12. Dr. Frisch presents a history of nuclear energy research and provides experiments for the reader. He gives a personal account of the pioneering work in which he and Lise Meitner explained the splitting of uranium and introduced the term “nuclear fission”. 168 Advanced Books An American Genius: The Life of Ernest Orlando Lawrence, Herbert Childs, E. P. Dutton and Company, Inc., New York, 1968, 576 pp., $12.95. This well-written, scientifically accurate, and very interesting biography captures the excitement of Lawrence’s life. Ernest Lawrence was the inventor of the cyclotron, a major member of the wartime atomic energy development, and the director of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory. The Atom and Its Nucleus, George Gamow, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1961, 153 pp., $1.25. A popular-level discussion of nuclear structure and the applications of nuclear energy. Atomic Energy for Military Purposes, Henry D. Smyth, Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 1945, 308 pp., $4.00. A complete account of the wartime project that developed the first nuclear weapons and of the considerations that prompted their use. Atomic Quest, Arthur H. Compton, Oxford University Press, Inc., New York, 1956, 370 pp., $7.95. A personal narrative of the research that led to the release of atomic energy on a useful scale by a scientist who played a principal part in the atomic bomb project during World War II. The Atomists (1805-1933), Basil Schonland, Oxford University Press, Inc., New York, 1968, 198 pp., $5.60. This book, which can be understood by anyone who has had a high school physics course, presents atomic theory development from Dalton through Bohr. It achieves a good balance between popular treatments and highly technical works without slighting the technical aspects. Atoms in the Family: My Life with Enrico Fermi, Laura Fermi, Chicago University Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1954, 267 pp., $5.00 (hardback); $2.45 (paperback). Laura Fermi writes about her husband, Enrico Fermi, the physicist who led the group that built the first nuclear reactor. 169 The Born-Einstein Letters: The Correspondence Between Albert Einstein and Max and Hedwig Born from 1916 to 1955, commentaries by Max Born, translated by Irene Born, Walker and Company, 1971, 240 pp., $8.50. These interesting letters reveal the scientific and personal lives of these two atomic scientists. Einstein: His Life and Times, Philipp Frank, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1953, 298 pp., $6.95. A brilliant biography that reveals the richness of Einstein’s life and work and the tremendous impact he made upon physics. Enrico Fermi, Physicist, Emilio Segrè, Chicago University Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1970, 288 pp., $6.95. This biography tells of Enrico Fermi’s intellectual history, achievements, and his scientific style. The scientific problems faced or solved by Fermi are explained in layman’s terms. Emilio Segrè was a friend and scientific collaborator who worked with Fermi for many years. An Introduction to Physical Science: The World of Atoms (second edition), John J. G. McCue, The Ronald Press Company, New York, 1963, 775 pp., $9.50. This textbook was written for college humanities students. J. J. Thomson: Discoverer of the Electron, George Thomson, Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York, 1966, 240 pp., $1.45. This biography, written by J. J. Thomson’s son, describes his research at the famed Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, England. John Dalton and the Atom, Frank Greenaway, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 1966, 256 pp., $7.50. A biography for the general reader and the high school science student. Dalton is famous for his development of chemical combinations based on atomic theory. This provided the basis for modern structural theories of chemistry. John Dalton and the Atomic Theory: The Biography of a Natural Philosopher, Elizabeth C. Patterson, Doubleday and Company, Inc., New York, 1970, 320 pp., $6.95 170 (hardback); $1.95 (paperback). The drama of Dalton’s life—his rigorous self-teaching, scientific work, and struggle to overcome class barriers in 19th century England—is well presented. Quotations from letters, diaries, and published works give a clear picture of Dalton’s atomic theory research and his time. Man-made Transuranium Elements, Glenn T. Seaborg, Prentice Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1963, 120 pp., $6.95 (hardback); $2.95 (paperback). The discovery, properties, and applications of elements heavier than uranium are considered in this book, which is designed as an introduction to the subject. Glenn Seaborg was co-discoverer of nine of the twelve transuranium elements. The Nature of Matter: Physical Theory from Thales to Fermi, Ginestra Amaldi, translated by Peter Astbury, Chicago University Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1966, 332 pp., $5.95. A nontechnical history of atomic energy. Niels Bohr: His Life and Work as Seen by His Friends and Colleagues, S. Rozental (Editor), John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1967, 355 pp., $5.95. An articulate and scholarly biography by the friends and co-workers of this outstanding atomic pioneer. Niels Bohr: The Man, His Science, and the World They Changed, Ruth Moore, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York, 1966, 436 pp., $7.95. An interesting biography of one of the pioneers in the study of the internal structure of the atom. Otto Hahn: My Life, Otto Hahn, translated by Ernest Kaiser and Eithne Wilkins, Herder and Herder, Inc., New York, 1970, 240 pp., $6.50. Autobiography of the man who discovered that the atom could be split. Otto Hahn: A Scientific Autobiography, Otto Hahn, Willy Ley, editor and translator, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, 1966, 320 pp., $9.95. Otto Hahn, winner of the 1944 Nobel Prize for his work in atomic fission, reviews the 171 pioneer days in which a new science was created, and the role he played in its development. Physics and Beyond: Encounters and Conversations, Werner Heisenberg, translated by Arthur J. Pomerans, Harper and Row, Publishers, New York, 1970, 247 pp., $7.95. Werner Heisenberg, a Nobel Prize physicist, presents his autobiography in the form of conversations with such men as Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Ernest Rutherford, Otto Hahn, and Enrico Fermi. Physics for Poets, Robert H. March, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New. York, 1970, 302 pp., $7.50. A physics textbook for nonscience students. The book covers certain developments of classical mechanics, relativity, and atomic and quantum physics. With this book the author won the 1971 American Institute of Physics—U. S. Steel Foundation Science Writing Award in Physics and Astronomy. Sourcebook on Atomic Energy (third edition), Samuel Glasstone,