J.

Robert Oppenheimer

Nichole Brown Physics 1010 Howard Demars 10/15/1

J. Robert Oppenheimer is considered by some to be an !merican hero" and by others as the physical mani#estation o# h$manistic e%il. &t is not o#ten that one indi%id$al can be %iewed as both a sa%ior and a demon. 's$ally these two #orces oppose each other" b$t in Oppenheimer( case he was labeled as both. His contrib$tion to atomic theory and #$rthermore" his assistance in the weaponi)ation o# this theory has p$t him in the midst o# a heated debate. *%en tho$+h he is %iewed by some as a modern +rim reaper" history shows that he was act$ally a %ery patriotic man who dedicated his li#e to the pro+ression o# scienti#ic ,nowled+e which" in the end" he $sed only to bene#it his co$ntry. !t the yo$n+ a+e o# 1-" Robert.s #ather J$lis Oppenheimer #irst set #oot on !merican soil. He spo,e little *n+lish" b$t was determined to wor, hard" and ma,e a name #or himsel#. /hro$+h many years o# dedication" he went #rom a h$mble immi+rant to a learned" enli+htened and ci%ili)ed member o# $pper class !merican society. He married *lla 0riedman in 110 " and on !pril 22" 1103" J. Robert Oppenheimer was born. Robert.s #ather was considered (ne o# the most tolerant and h$man o# men. His idea o# what to do #or people was to let them #ind o$t what they wanted4Pais5. /his type o# en%ironment helped #oster Robert.s 6$est #or ,nowled+e and thirst #or $nderstandin+ the $n,nown. &n 7eptember" 1111 Robert was enrolled in the second +rade at the *thical 8$lt$re 7chool. He stayed at this school $ntil he +rad$ated #rom hi+h school in 0ebr$ary" 1121. Robert was a %ery $n$s$al child. (n those years he did not participate in any sports. He was dri%en e%erywhere" attended by ser%ants" and in school wo$ld not e%en $se stairs" always pre#errin+ to wait #or an ele%ator. (hen & was 10 or 12 years old9Robert says": (inerals" writin+ poems" and b$ildin+ bloc,s were the three themes & did... & was a member o# the ;ineralo+ical 8l$b %ery early9at a+e 11" by #ar the yo$n+est member:4Pais5. /here were many e<amples o# Robert( early mental de%elopment.

! classmate recalls that" as a third=or #o$rth=+rader" Robert made one o# his in#re6$ent trips to the play+ro$nd. ! child threw a ball o$t o# the lot" and the school director admonished the yo$n+sters" tellin+ them they mi+ht ha%e in>$red a passerby. Robert immediately calc$lated the probable #orce with which the ball had str$c, the sidewal," demonstratin+ that its %elocity co$ld not ha%e h$rt anyone 4?i#e @ /imes5. Needless to say" e%en as a yo$n+ child he displayed si+ns o# +eni$s well beyond his years. &n 7eptember 1122" Oppenheimer enrolled in Har%ard 8olle+e. /his is the place where he +rew the most as a scientist. He too, as many co$rses as the $ni%ersity allowed. He was constantly readin+ and e<pandin+ his #o$ndation o# ,nowled+e. Oppenheimer contin$ed at Har%ard $ntil he (rad$ated s$mma c$m la$de in 1125 and went to *n+land to cond$ct research at 8ambrid+e 'ni%ersity.s 8a%endish ?aboratory4atomicarchi%e5. 0inally" in 112-" Oppenheimer recei%ed a PhD in A$ant$m Physics #rom the 'ni%ersity o# Bottin+en in Bermany. Chen he ret$rned #rom *$rope in 1121" he was (lready reco+ni)ed as a physicist o# +reat promise" he accepted conc$rrent appointments at the 8ali#ornia &nstit$te o# /echnolo+y in Pasadena and the 'ni%ersity o# 8ali#ornia in Ber,eley4?i#e @ /imes5 Chile Robert was in 8ali#ornia he en+rossed himsel# in his wor,. &t was almost as i# all that his brain co$ld handle was the de%elopment o# the atomic theory. Beca$se o# this +reat concentration" he beca$se isolated #rom the rest o# the world. !t one point he remar,edD was not interested in and did not read abo$t economics or politics. & was wholly di%orced #rom the contemporary scene in this co$ntry. & ne%er read newspaper or c$rrent ma+a)ine ... & had no radio" no telephone ... & was interested in man and his e<perience. & was deeply interested in my science" b$t & had no $nderstandin+ o# the relations o# man to his societyE 4?i#e @ /imes5. almost (

Beca$se o# this isolation" Robert had no real +rip on the happenin+s on the world aro$nd him. He was simply not aware o# the brewin+ world war" the treatment o# the Jews and the tr$e a##ect that the +reat depression had wrea,ed $pon his co$ntry. /his reali)ation ca$sed him to ta,e a stron+ stand a+ainst #ascism as it arose in the 11 0(. &t is important to note that this was the #irst time that he had ta,en anythin+ close to resemblin+ a stand in the political arena. !t this point Robert was a well ,nown scientist. He had many brea,thro$+hs" and became reco+ni)edD ...with bein+ a #o$ndin+ #ather o# the !merican school o# theoretical physics. He did important research in astrophysics" n$clear physics" spectroscopy and 6$ant$m #ield theory. He made important contrib$tions to the theory o# cosmic ray showers" and did wor, that e%ent$ally led toward descriptions o# 6$ant$m t$nnelin+. &n the 11 0s" he was the #irst to write papers s$++estin+ the e<istence o# what we today call blac, holes 4atomicarchi%e5. /his international attention was %ery important beca$se it set Oppenheimer $p #or the ne<t sta+e in his li#e. His e<pertise and e<tensi%e st$dy into theoretical physics made him the ob%io$s choice when his co$ntry needed a hero. /his hero came in the #orm o# a theoretical scientist. &n 11 1 a world war was loomin+. &n direct correlation to !merica( worst #ears" (he '.7. Bo%ernment learned that the Na)is had split the atom" and were preparin+ to ma,e e<tremely power#$l weapons with their new ,nowled+e4/ytler5. !merica decided that they also needed to ta,e steps to de%elop an atomic weapon to protect themsel%es #rom the percei%ed threat. &n J$ne 1132" Beneral ?eslie Bro%es appointed Oppenheimer as the director o# the ;anhattan Pro>ectF this was a +ro$p o# indi%id$als tas,ed with the sole p$rpose o# de%elopin+ an atomic weapon. 'nder Oppenheimer.s watch#$l eye" (he laboratories at ?os !lamos were constr$cted. /here" he bro$+ht the best minds in physics to wor, on the problem o# creatin+ an

atomic bomb. &n the end" he was mana+in+ more than "000 people" as well as tac,lin+ theoretical and mechanical problems that arose... the >oint wor, o# the scientists at ?os !lamos res$lted in the #irst n$clear e<plosion at !lama+ordo on J$ly 1G" 1135" which Oppenheimer named (rinity( 4atomicarchi%e5. /he tas, was completed. !#ter the atomic bomb was tested and pro%ed to be s$ccess#$l it did not ta,e lon+ #or /r$man to call in the order. On the Gth o# !$+$st 1135" a specially desi+ned B=21 bomber carryin+ only one bomb departed #rom /inian air #orce base at 2D35 a.m. /he *nola Bay carried the #irst atomic bomb e%er to be $sed on a pop$lated areaD Hiroshima. /hree days later" the Boc,.s 8ar wo$ld deli%er a second atomic bomb" the third e%er tested" to destroy Na+asa,i. /hese two bombs wo$ld #ore%er chan+e the path o# world history. /he $sa+e o# these atomic bombs was one o# the most debated moral contro%ersies o# the 20th cent$ry. 7ome people wanted the weapon destroyed. /hose in power tho$+h" did not. &n the !$t$mn o# 1131" the 7o%iet 'nion tested their own atomic bomb. /his action immediately p$t the '7 +o%ernment on the de#ensi%e. /hey proposed de%elopment o# the hydro+en bomb. (#ter the war" Oppenheimer chaired the '.7. !tomic *ner+y 8ommission. &n 1131" he stron+ly opposed the de%elopment o# the hydro+en bomb" beca$se he was now #$lly aware o# the dan+ers o# radioacti%ity ca$sed by n$clear e<plosions. Howe%er" he was o%err$led by President Harry /r$man4/ytler5. Robert( ob%io$s disa+reements with the de%elopment o# the hydro+en bomb #ostered disconcertment in the political sphere. &n 115 " a#ter many hearin+s and testimonies #or and a+ainst Oppenheimer" the !tomic *ner+y 8ommission #inally re%o,ed his sec$rity clearance. Chile his interest in physics ne%er disappeared" this p$blic h$miliation crippled his )ealo$s spirit. &n 11G " in an attempt #or recompense" (e was #or+i%en #or his #ormer #ar=le#t leanin+s and was awarded the *nrico 0ermi medal by President ?yndon B. Johnson. /his award honors scientists o# international stat$re #or

their li#etime achie%ements in the de%elopment" $se" or prod$ction o# ener+y4/ytler5. &n the later years o# his li#e 4113-=11GG5" Oppenheimer (er%ed as the Director o# Princeton.s &nstit$te #or !d%anced 7t$dy. /here" he stim$lated disc$ssion and research on 6$ant$m and relati%istic physics... 9He: retired #rom Princeton in 11GG4atomicarchi%e5. !#ter a lon+ bo$t with throat cancer 4most li,ely a res$lt o# his chain smo,in+ habit5 J. Robert Oppenheimer died on 0ebr$ary 1G" 11G-. /o this day it is debated wither the impact he made $pon the world was a positi%e or ne+ati%e one. !ll we can concl$de is that Robert( li#e was one dedicated to learnin+ and to his co$ntry. He +a%e his li#e to the de%elopment o# the atom bomb #or the protection o# his co$ntry. He chose to allow the moral rami#ications o# li#e lost to rest $pon his sho$lders. &# #or no other reason then that" he deser%es the respect o# the nation that he so lo%ed. J. Robert OppenheimerD the #ather o# the atomic bomb.

Cor,s 8ited EJ. Robert Oppenheimer 41103=11G-5.E atomicarchive . Ceb. 15 Oct 201 . HhttpD//www.atomicarchi%e.comI. EJ. ROB*R/ OPP*NH*&;*R His ?i#e @ /imes.E Time 2G !p. 1153D 1=10. Print. E?etters" !$+. 2-"1135.E Time 2- !$+ 1135D Ceb. 15 Oct 201 . HhttpD//www.time.comI. E?ettersD /he !tomic Bomb.E Time 10 7ep. 1135D Ceb. 15 Oct 201 . HhttpD//www.time.comI. Pais" !braham. J. Robert Oppenheimer: A Life . New Jor," NJD O<#ord 'ni%ersity Press" 200G. 3=K. Online only. HhttpD//boo,s.+oo+le. comI. 7chell" Jonathan. The Fate of the Earth: the Abolition . 7 tan#ord" 8!D 7 tan#ord 'ni%ersity Press" 2000. Online only. HhttpD//boo,s.+oo+le. comI. /ytler" 8arolyn. EBio+raphyD J. Robert Oppenheimer.E Associated Content . 1 Dec. 200K. Ceb. 15 Oct 201 . HhttpD//www.associatedcontent .comI.