Edward Teller

Edward Teller (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_language" title="Hungarian language" >Hungarian</a>: Teller Ede; January 15, 1908 – September 9, 2003) was a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_American" title="Hungarian American" >Hungarian-born American</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theoretical_physics" title="Theoretical physics" >theoretical physicist</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Teller#cite_note-Cambridge_Univ.Press-1" >[1]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Teller#cite_note-Oxford_Univ.Press-2" >[2]</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Teller#cite_note-National_Academies_Press-3" >[3]</a> who, although he claimed he did not care for the title,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Teller#cite_note-4" >[4]</a> is known colloquially as "the father of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_bomb" title="Hydrogen bomb" class="mw-redirect" >hydrogen bomb</a>". He made numerous contributions to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_physics" title="Nuclear physics" >nuclear</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molecular_physics" title="Molecular physics" >molecular physics</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectroscopy" title="Spectroscopy" >spectroscopy</a> (in particular, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jahn%E2%80%93Teller_effect" title="Jahn–Teller effect" >Jahn–Teller</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renner%E2%80%93Teller_effect" title="Renner–Teller effect" >Renner–Teller</a> effects) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surface" title="Surface" >surface</a> physics. His extension of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enrico_Fermi" title="Enrico Fermi" >Enrico Fermi</a>'s theory of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_decay" title="Beta decay" >beta decay</a>, in the form of the so-called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamow%E2%80%93Teller_transition" title="Gamow–Teller transition" >Gamow–Teller transitions</a>, provided an important stepping stone in its application, while the Jahn–Teller effect and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BET_theory" title="BET theory" >Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory</a> have retained their original formulation and are still mainstays in physics and chemistry.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Teller#cite_note-Goodchild_2005.2C_p.36-5" >[5]</a> Teller also made contributions to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas%E2%80%93Fermi_model" title="Thomas–Fermi model" >Thomas–Fermi theory</a>, the precursor of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Density_functional_theory" title="Density functional theory" >density functional theory</a>, a standard modern tool in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics" title="Quantum mechanics" >quantum mechanical</a> treatment of complex molecules. In 1953, along with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Metropolis" title="Nicholas Metropolis" >Nicholas Metropolis</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Rosenbluth" title="Marshall Rosenbluth" >Marshall Rosenbluth</a>, Teller co-authored a paper<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Teller#cite_note-Metropolis.2C_N.1953-6" >[6]</a> which is a standard starting point for the applications of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monte_Carlo_method" title="Monte Carlo method" >Monte Carlo method</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_mechanics" title="Statistical mechanics" >statistical mechanics</a>.

Teller immigrated to the United States in the 1930s, and was an early member of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Project" title="Manhattan Project" >Manhattan Project</a>charged with developing the first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bomb" title="Atomic bomb" class="mw-redirect" >atomic bombs</a>. During this time he made a serious push to develop the first<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fusion" title="Nuclear fusion" >fusion</a>-based weapons as well, but these were deferred until after <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II" title="World War II" >World War II</a>. After his controversial testimony in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_clearance" title="Security clearance" >security clearance</a> hearing of his former <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Alamos_National_Laboratory" title="Los Alamos National Laboratory" >Los Alamos</a> colleague <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Robert_Oppenheimer" title="J. Robert Oppenheimer" >J. Robert Oppenheimer</a>, Teller was ostracized by much of the scientific community. He continued to find support from the U.S. government and military research establishment, particularly for his advocacy for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power" title="Nuclear power" >nuclear energy</a>development, a strong nuclear arsenal, and a vigorous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_testing" title="Nuclear testing" class="mw-redirect" >nuclear testing</a> program. He was a co-founder of<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence_Livermore_National_Laboratory" title="Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory" >Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory</a> (LLNL), and was both its director and associate director for many years.

In his later years, Teller became especially known for his advocacy of controversial technological solutions to both military and civilian problems, including a plan to excavate an artificial harbor in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska" title="Alaska" >Alaska</a> using<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermonuclear" title="Thermonuclear" class="mw-redirect" >thermonuclear</a> explosive in what was called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Chariot" title="Project Chariot" >Project Chariot</a>. He was a vigorous advocate of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Reagan" title="Ronald Reagan" >Reagan</a>'s<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Defense_Initiative" title="Strategic Defense Initiative" >Strategic Defense Initiative</a>. Throughout his life, Teller was known both for his scientific ability and his difficult interpersonal relations and volatile personality, and is considered one of the inspirations for the character <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr.Strangelove#Peter_Sellers.27_multiple_roles" title="Dr. Strangelove" >Dr. Strangelove</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr.Strangelove" title="Dr. Strangelove" >1964 movie of the same name</a>.

Edward Teller

Attachments