criticality-accident

Louis Slotin's fatal accident during an experiment with the bomb's core demonstrates the lethal risks of nuclear chain reactions and the narrow margin for error.

1 chapter across 1 book

Brighter than a Thousand Suns - A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists (1956)Robert Jungk

Chapter 5

This chapter details the intense final months of the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos in 1945, highlighting the extreme working conditions, key scientific figures like Luis Alvarez and Louis Slotin, and the dangers inherent in developing the atomic bomb. It recounts Slotin's fatal criticality accident during an experiment, illustrating both the personal risks taken by scientists and the broader human costs of atomic weapons development. The chapter also touches on the psychological and social strains experienced by the community involved in the project.