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An inter-country comparison of nuclear pile development during World War II

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Abstract

Between the time of the discovery of nuclear fission in early 1939 and the end of 1946, approximately 90 “nuclear piles” were constructed in six countries. These devices ranged from simple graphite columns containing neutron sources but no uranium to structures as complex as the water-cooled 250-MW plutonium production reactors built at Hanford, Washington. This paper reviews and compares the properties of these piles.

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Notes

  1. David Irving (1938–) is a controversial figure. His book on the German atomic program was well regarded, particularly as he was able to interview many key figures of that program, notably Werner Heisenberg. However, he later came to be discredited for his adoption of anti-semitic sentiments, holocaust denial, and pro-Nazi sympathies. In this paper, I have relied on Irving’s book for only factual data.

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Acknowledgements

I am grateful to Mark Walker for alerting me to the photographs in Figs. 7 and 8 and to Irene Püttner of the Deutsches Museum for assistance in securing copies of them. I am also grateful to James Wells, David Cassidy, Miriam Hiebert, and Ruth Sime for comments on an early draft of this paper. The comments and suggestions of two anonymous reviewers which led to improvements in this paper are also gratefully acknowledged.

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  1. Department of Physics (Emeritus), Alma College, Alma, MI, 48801, USA

    B. Cameron Reed

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Reed, B.C. An inter-country comparison of nuclear pile development during World War II. EPJ H 46, 15 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1140/epjh/s13129-021-00020-x

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