Help me remember the story of the hapless physics student.
December 9, 2008 2:58 PM
I remember reading a true story online about an accidental death in a physics laboratory during the early studies of radioactivity and nuclear physics experiments. I think it involved a clumsy physics student who accidentally dropped a brick of radioactive material onto a stack of these bricks which set off some sort of chain reaction. Can someone find this story online for me?
This famously happened twice to the Demon Core. First to Harry Daghlian and later to Canadian Louis Slotin.
posted by Mitheral at 3:09 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by Mitheral at 3:09 PM on December 9, 2008
Thanks that's exactly what I was looking for. Mefites come through again!
posted by Paul KC at 3:47 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by Paul KC at 3:47 PM on December 9, 2008
The accident is described in more detail (with pictures) on pages 74 and 75 of a handbook of criticality accidents
Here
posted by pseudonick at 5:02 PM on December 9, 2008
Here
posted by pseudonick at 5:02 PM on December 9, 2008
Then there's the guy who stuck his head into the business end of a particle accelerator. Still alive, apparently.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:03 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 5:03 PM on December 9, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nuclear_accidents#Civilian_nuclear_accidents
In case you want some more reading material.
posted by lalas at 5:07 PM on December 9, 2008
In case you want some more reading material.
posted by lalas at 5:07 PM on December 9, 2008
Depicted by none other than heart-breaker John Cusack in the movie Fat Man and Little Boy.
posted by jabberjaw at 5:13 PM on December 9, 2008
posted by jabberjaw at 5:13 PM on December 9, 2008
There's actually a mention of this in this week's New Yorker, along with a story about a guy who publishes the best technical manual for the first atomic bombs.
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA at 8:42 AM on December 10, 2008
posted by vilcxjo_BLANKA at 8:42 AM on December 10, 2008
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posted by kuujjuarapik at 3:08 PM on December 9, 2008