Hans Bethe
Hans Bethe
HANS BETHE d2005. German-American nuclear physicist who made important contributions to astrophysics, quantum electrodynamics and solid-state physics. He who won the 1967 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. During WW2, he was head of the Theoretical Division at the secret Los Alamos laboratory that developed the first atomic bombs. There he played a key role in calculating the critical mass of the weapons and developing the theory behind the implosion method used in both the Trinity test and the "Fat Man" weapon dropped on Nagasaki in August 1945. After the war, he also played an important role in the development of the hydrogen bomb, although he had originally joined the project with the hope of proving it could not be made. He later campaigned with Albert Einstein and the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists against nuclear testing and the nuclear arms race. He helped persuade the Kennedy and Nixon administrations to sign respectively the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. He died in New York aged 98 on March 6th 2005
Hans Bethe
Reference Number. 14053Q
An original vintage 1971 index card, clearly signed in ink by Hans Bethe
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