Nuclear physics?

Question

How complex is it? Why are other countries today (mostly terrorist states) struggling with it when in 1940's we (U.S.) did it with plumbing tools to work with basically compared to today?

Answer 1

Nuclear physics and nuclear engineering are two entirely different subjects really. Nuclear engineering (building bombs and power plants) uses nuclear physics that was well understood in the 30s and 40s combined with lots of other engineering disciplines. These other disciplines (how to separate out the isotopes you want, how to make a burst of neutrons to initiate the reaction, how to control the reaction) can be trickier.

When you talk about nuclear physics today, you're talking about a discipline that's quite remote from any practical application (at least in the short run). The physicists working on fusion power aren't nuclear physicists, they're plasma physicists who study the behavior of superhot gasses in hopes of finding a way to efficiently control a fusion reaction.

Answer 2

Well said Chigga, the Brits did indeed have alot to do with the advent of Nuclear Fission. Also many Russians did valuable research into Nuclear power.

Without the likes of Thompson, Rutherford, Chadwick, Maxwell and Faraday - I don't think that Physics research would be where it is today. They performed ground-breaking research which actually confirmed what Einstein wrote in his 1905 papers regarding E = mc^2.

Remember, most physicists (researchers) would know how to set up a Nuclear Pile, it is not the setting up of the thing, it is starting the chain reaction and then controlling the chain reaction once it starts (think of Chernobyl.)

Answer 3

It very complex. Alot of countries have problems with it, One of the biggest issuse is getting uranium ore, and refining it.

Please don't say we (the U.S.), but the U.S. wasn't alone in creating the Manhatten project. 100 000s of people were involved, one of the largest facilities was in Laval, Quebec, and the British had a large part to do with research.