One of the most famous scientists in the US was known not only for his talent in research: he is also one of the most controversial and controversial. theoretical physicist Robert Oppenheimer famous for his direct participation in building the atomic bombleading to the final closure The Second World War when playing in Japanese cities Hiroshima This Nagasaki.

About talking about life in movies Oppenheimerdirector Christopher Nolan (Tenet, Batman: The Dark Knight) and with Cillian Murphy (Peaky Blinders), as the protagonist, the explorer led a quiet life before the conflict, until he entered history for a role that he later considered a curse – and which even led to his political persecution.

Learn a little more about this figure’s trajectory, legacy, and controversy surrounding the Manhattan Project below.

Oppenheimer before the bomb

Julius Robert Oppenheimer was born in April 1904 in New York, you son of a bitch German immigrant a successful man who worked in the textile industry and an American-born artist.

Robert was one of the best students in college, and from there he went on. Harvard Universitywhere he began his studies with particular interest in chemistry, mathematics, philosophy and literature.

Gradually he specialized in Physicalbut he did not spend much time in laboratories because he did not like the routine of experiments – until he met quantum mechanicsa field still in its early stages of study that deals with measurements below the scale of the atom and elementary particles of matter and energy.

The researcher also went through University of Göttingenin Germany, defended his doctoral dissertation and studied with researchers such as Niels Bohr (same as the electron orbital model) and Max Born. With the latter, he developed the theory Born-Oppenheimer approximationwhich refers to the movement of the nuclei of atoms.

With an already well-known name in the middle, Oppenheimer began teaching in the 1930s simultaneously at two educational institutions: Caltech (Caltech) And University of California.

During this period, the personal life of a physicist also changed radically. First, he inherits father’s fortune and begins to have a more peaceful standard of living financially. In addition, Robert marries in 1940 to Katherine HarrisonKitty, biologist and lifelong companion.

The couple’s daily routine was peaceful, and the teacher was somewhat of a celebrity in the university environment for memorable classes and extensive knowledge. Until the Second World War, when he was called to perform a task that changed the course of his history and the history of all mankind.

Manhattan Project

In 1942, Oppenheimer was appointed to work in Manhattan Projectcode name for the group of researchers responsible for development of the atomic bomb in the United States.

At that time, at the height of the Second World War, researchers such as Albert Einstein they insisted that the American government start nuclear research to stop the Nazis from moving forward. The fighting was still raging in many parts of the world, and it seemed that the dispute was far from over.

Convinced to accept the invitation, but distrusted by colleagues due to his lack of experience in laboratories, Oppenheimer was given special responsibility for the laboratory in Los Alamos, including the selection of scientists at your discretion. The leaders of that period call him the “inventor” or “father” of the atomic bomb, which is a fair title, although the work is the result of many years of development by groups of researchers from different fields.

The first explosion of a nuclear weapon took place in July 16, 1945proving the success and lethality of the technology. Witnessing the experiment, Oppenheimer said in an interview years later that he thought of a passage from a sacred Hindu text. Bhagavad Gita which summarized the feeling of mortality and at the same time control over the scientist’s other lives: “Now I have become Death, the destroyer of worlds”.

In parallel, two projects developed under the leadership of Oppenheimer were ready and both were put into practice. The development of atomic bombs required months of theoretical research before the first test bombings, and the technology led to the creation of two weapons: fission bombs with uranium isotopeby name a little boyand the other with a synthetic element called plutonium-239V fat man.

Three weeks later, they are dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and soon after, Japan signs a surrender. More than 140,000 people died directly. in both cities as a result of terrorist attacks with countless indirect victims from exposure to radiation.

In the same interview in which he reports on the test, Oppenheimer immortalized another startling reaction to the other scientists who were on site. “We knew the world would never be the same again. Some were laughing, some were crying, most were silent.”the physicist said.

Repentance and accusations

With the end of World War II, the Manhattan Project is curtailed, and scientists are considered heroes in society. Robert becomes chairman of the committee Atomic Energy Commissionan agency set up after the war to oversee nuclear activities inside and outside the US is returning to teaching.

However, what should be a period of peace and tranquility for the body becomes another tumultuous moment. Oppenheimer starts making statements calling for control of nuclear weapons researchas he seemed to come to regret his participation in military experiments with atomic energy more and more.

In addition, he publicly opposed the development H-bomb. This thermonuclear explosive would be even more powerful than previous designs, and the US saw it as an opportunity to win an arms race against the Soviet Union early in the war. cold war.

In short, the concept includes fission bomb that serves as the “trigger” for a nuclear reaction deuterium with tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen. Far greater destruction than nuclear bombs convinced Robert that the military advantage would not outweigh the risks of this technology to humanity.

Comrade physicist, Edward Teller, was responsible for the proposal of the project. The wards of Teller’s colleagues turned their backs on Robert and launched a smear campaign that found the best possible context.

• New video shows the explosion of the largest hydrogen bomb ever made

In 1950 the then President Harry S. Truman rejected the researcher’s recommendation and ordered research on the hydrogen bomb. The campaign has gone wrong and Oppenheimer is suspected of treason and branded as a communist. physical never been a member of the communist party he also disagreed with much of this ideology. However, Kitty and Robert’s brother were even related, in addition to an old friend, Jean Tatlock.

Oppenheimer was just sympathized with progressive ideas since his research work, in addition to funding some campaigns against non-democratic regimes. He harbored a particular hatred for the Nazi regime and the treatment of Jews due to their origin and even the presence of relatives in the country.

The persecution of alleged communists came to a head during the period known as McCarthyism, and the names from all areas are “charged” in a similar way. In 1954 researcher loses security clearance and any connection to the US government for two reasons: a line against nuclear research and accusations that it poses a danger to the country.

Oppenheimer’s legacy

As his career was severely hampered and isolated at the academy, Oppenheimer began to devote himself more to his studies. In 1963 he received Fermi Prize from the USA: medal and cash prize of $50,000 for pioneering the nuclear industry. He saw honor an act of courage by President Lyndon Johnsonin addition to a kind of solace for a career.

Robert has written several books and helped broaden thinking about the problems that arise in relation to the relationship between science and society. After all, he is a symbol of regret about the beginning of nuclear research and believed that the use of this energy should be “A new way of understanding nature”.

From 1947 to 1966 the researcher was professor and director Institute for Advanced StudyV Princeton, New Jersey. Now retired, Oppenheimer died at age 62in 1967 as a result throat cancer.

His story will not receive a new chapter until December 2022, nearly 70 years after the process that saw him removed from government. then President Joe Biden chose Cancellation of Security Pass Cancellationremoving the accusations against the physique and doing some sort of forgiveness, albeit belatedly.

To the cinema

The film, directed by Christopher Nolan, is an adaptation of the explorer’s first and most sensational biography: “American Prometheus”, written by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, still unpublished in Brazil. Theatrical release scheduled for July 20, 2023.

In the feature film, in addition to starring Cillian Murphy, the cast brings Emily Blunt like Kitty; Florence Pugh like Gene Tetlock and Benny Safdie like Edward Teller. Matt Damon lives the military leader of the Manhattan Project, Leslie GrovesBye Robert Downey Jr. This Lewis Straussbusinessman who also campaigned against Oppenheimer.

Mundo Conectado Deal Center: selection of discounts and lowest prices
Best deals on electronics, cell phones, TVs, soundbars, drones and more

Source: IAS, NPS, NPR, ANS.