Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

On July 21, Oppenheimer, a film directed by Nolan, was released in North America, and we will introduce it here.

Robert Oppenheimer is an American theoretical physicist known as the "father of the atomic bomb" because he led the Manhattan Project during World War II and developed the first nuclear weapons to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. His life is full of brilliant achievements and tragic experiences, his contribution to physics and human society is undeniable, but he also feels guilty and painful for the consequences of his creation. This article will introduce Oppenheimer's life and main work, as well as his influence and legacy in the field of physics.

Born into a wealthy German Jewish family, Oppenheimer showed a gift of erudition and intelligence from an early age. He has a strong interest in literature, philosophy, language and mineralogy, especially poetry. After graduating with honors from the Fairdston School of Arts and Sciences in New York, he entered the chemistry department of Harvard University and graduated with the highest honors within three years. After that, he went to Europe for further study and studied theoretical physics at Cambridge University, the University of Gottingen, Zurich and Leiden. In 1927, he received his doctorate from the University of Gottingen for his thesis on quantum mechanics and was considered one of the leaders in the field.

Teaching and Research in 1929, Oppenheimer returned to the United States to teach at the University of California, Berkeley, and founded the Oppenheimer Center for theoretical Physics, making Berkeley one of the research centers of theoretical physics in the world. During his stay in Berkeley, he trained many excellent physicists, such as Bohm, Lamb, Nordzek, etc., and together with his friend Lawrence established the American school of subatomic physics and won the hegemony in this field from Europe. Oppenheimer's research ranges from astronomy, cosmic rays, nuclei, quantum electrodynamics to elementary particles. He is eloquent, good at organization and management, proficient in eight languages, especially likes to read the Sanskrit "Bhagavad Gita" scriptures.

He has made many contributions to physics, such as the Bonn-Oppenheimer approximation of molecular wave functions: this is a method to deal with the quantum effects of molecular vibration and rotation, which can simplify molecular energy level calculation and molecular spectral analysis. Oppenheimer-Phillips process in nuclear fusion: this is a process used to describe the fusion of light nuclei at high energy, explaining the energy sources inside stars and the formation of heavy elements in cosmic rays. Predicting quantum tunneling effect for the first time: this is used to describe the phenomenon that microscopic particles have a certain probability of crossing the barrier when they are subjected to a potential barrier, and can explain physical phenomena such as nuclear decay, field emission, tunnel diodes and so on.

The Manhattan Project in September 1939, World War II broke out in Europe, and intelligence showed that Germany had studied the atomic bomb under the auspices of Heisenberg. President Roosevelt issued a general mobilization order to set up the top secret Manhattan project, with the goal of building an atomic bomb before Germany. The host is Rear Admiral Leslie Groves, who chose Oppenheimer as director of the atomic bomb development program despite the opposition of the army intelligence unit.

Oppenheimer told the military that if you want to build an atomic bomb, you must bring together first-class scientists and the best equipment in a community and co-ordinate with a unified command. In 1943, Los Alamos National Laboratory was established in the desert of New Mexico, and many famous scientists, such as Fermi, Bohr, Feynman, Von Neumann and other master physicists, were recruited to begin the research and development of the atomic bomb.

With his excellent leadership and organizational ability, Oppenheimer successfully coordinated all kinds of resources and talents, and solved many technical problems, such as uranium enrichment, plutonium production, explosive device design and so on. On July 16, 1945, he led the construction of the world's first atomic bomb and conducted a trinity nuclear test in the Alamo Godot Desert, New Mexico. When the atomic bomb exploded, he thought of the "Song of the blessed one" in the Mahabharata Sutra of ancient India: "I am now death, the destroyer of the world." He felt both pride and fear of his creation.

Soon after, the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, forcing Japan to surrender and ending the Pacific War.

Post-war activities after World War II, Oppenheimer briefly taught at the California Institute of Technology, and then came to work and serve as director of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Princeton. He serves as chairman of the General Advisory Board of the newly established United States Atomic Energy Commission. He used this status to lobby the international community to regulate nuclear energy, so as to avoid a nuclear arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union and prevent nuclear proliferation.

He opposes the development of a more powerful hydrogen bomb and supports international cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He is also involved in science education and science popularization, has served as chairman of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has introduced the basic concepts and cutting-edge issues of physics to the public on television programs. He also wrote articles and books on science and culture, showing his deep understanding and awe of nature and human beings.

During the second Red scare in the United States, Oppenheimer's public views angered many politicians, and his security permit was revoked in 1954, meaning he could no longer directly influence politics. He was accused of being a sympathizer of the Soviet Union and disloyal to the development of nuclear weapons. His accusers include his colleagues and competitors in the Manhattan project, such as Taylor, Strauss, Lillian Tarr and so on. His defenders include many heavyweights in science and politics, such as Bohr, Feynman, Eisenhower and so on.

After four weeks of hearings, Oppenheimer was found to pose a "serious threat to national security" and was deprived of security clearance. The verdict caused widespread controversy and protest and was regarded as a violation of scientific freedom and democratic principles. Oppenheimer felt frustrated and humiliated by this, but he did not give up his beliefs and positions.

In his later years, Oppenheimer continued to speak, write and study physics after losing his security permit. During his time at the Princeton Institute of Advanced Studies, he made important contributions to the theory of neutron stars and black holes, such as the Oppenheimer-Volkoff limit: this is a theoretical value used to describe the maximum mass of neutron stars. Neutron stars beyond this limit will collapse into black holes.

He also pondered and discussed the basic problems and philosophical significance of quantum mechanics. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy awarded the Fermi Award to Oppenheimer Enrico, and Oppenheimer was rehabilitated. In 1966, he retired from the Institute for Advanced Studies at Princeton and returned to New Mexico. Oppenheimer died of throat cancer at Princeton on February 18, 1967 at the age of 62.

This article comes from the official account of Wechat: Vientiane experience (ID:UR4351), author: Eugene Wang

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