Father of the atomic bomb.. He opposed the hydrogen bomb and was accused of treason
Oppenheimer with his Los Alamos lab identification card...
Robert Oppenheimer showed a keen interest in the Sanskrit language and went to read ancient Hindu texts from which he quoted his most famous quotes.
In the past century, the American physicist, of German origin, Julius Robert Oppenheimer, gained great fame thanks to his important role in producing the first atomic bombs that were used at the end of World War II against Japan. In his career, Oppenheimer headed the secret informant in Los Alamos, New Mexico, who oversaw the Manhattan Project. The Manhattan Project resulted in the invention of the Little Boy and Fat Man bombs, which were dropped between August 6 and 9, 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing between 100 and 200 thousand people in moments.
Busy scientific career
In addition, Robert Oppenheimer was born on April 22, 1904 in New York City, to a family of German Jewish immigrants. Thanks to the good financial conditions of his family, the father of the atomic bomb was able to continue his studies at a number of prominent universities. In 1925, he received a BA in chemistry from Harvard University. Two years later, Oppenheimer obtained his Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Göttingen, Germany. After a number of research conducted by him at a number of other universities, Oppenheimer joined the University of California, Berkeley, where he became a basic university professor by the year 1936.
Accompanied by his colleagues and students, Robert Oppenheimer worked in many fields and conducted research on wave matter, electron and positron theory, the Oppenheimer–Phillips process on nuclear fusion, and the first prediction of quantum tunneling. Also, Oppenheimer contributed to many researches on neutron stars, black holes, quantum field theory and cosmic ray interactions.
As one of the most prominent physicists in the United States of America, Oppenheimer was recruited by the World War to supervise the Manhattan Project, at the request of General Leslie Groves Jr., and was appointed director of the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico. Thanks to his efforts, the United States obtained the two atomic bombs that it used against Japan to force it to surrender and exit World War II.
Expressive image of a nuclear explosion
"Now I am death, the destroyer of worlds."
And about the incident of the bombing of Japan with the two atomic bombs, humanity has a rare recording of a documentary dating back to 1965 about Oppenheimer. With this documentary, Oppenheimer spoke about the atomic bomb, saying, "Now I am death, and the destroyer of worlds."
Oppenheimer quoted these words from the Hindu book, the Bhagavad-Gita. In a dialogue with this book, the Hindu god Vishnu addressed the prince, trying to convince him of the necessity of accomplishing his duties. To impress him, Vishnu takes his many-handed form, saying, "Now I am death, the destroyer of worlds."
In addition, Oppenheimer adopted these words because of his reading and admiration for many Hindu texts. Some time ago, Oppenheimer had admired Sanskrit, an ancient language in which Hindu texts were written. While working at the University of California, Berkeley, Oppenheimer studied this ancient language and read the Bhagavad-Gita. With his declaration of the documentary in 1965, Oppenheimer presented his own translation, in English, of what happened between Vishnu and the Prince.
Oppenheimer with Einstein in 1950
He loves New Mexico
On the other hand, throughout his career Oppenheimer showed great admiration for New Mexico. The latter fell in love with this American region during his youth. After suffering from dysentery, which affected his scientific career at Harvard University, Oppenheimer was sent, by his parents, to New Mexico for a period of convalescence. During his stay there, the father of the atomic bomb was so impressed by the New Mexico desert that he visited many times over the following years.
In 1942, Oppenheimer chose Los Alamos, New Mexico, to house the secret Manhattan Project laboratory. To justify his choice, Oppenheimer stressed the strategic location of Los Alamos, located in a secluded place close to the railway line.
Unheimer with General Leslie Groves, Jr. in 1942
Communist tendencies and treason
During the Great Depression, Oppenheimer showed interest in the field of workers' rights and communism in the United States of America. On the other hand, the latter provided many subsidies to the Republicans, funded by Moscow, in the Spanish Civil War. Although he was not affiliated with the American Communist Party, many of Oppenheimer's close associates, such as his brother Frank and his wife Catherine, joined this party. On the other hand, US General Leslie Groves Jr. despised the reports about Oppenheimer's communist tendencies and considered them worthless while choosing this physicist to supervise the Los Alamos laboratory.
In 1946, the United States of America formed the Atomic Energy Commission to supervise the country's nuclear weapons. Taking advantage of his position, Oppenheimer called for strict control over nuclear weapons and strongly opposed the production of the hydrogen bomb, which the United States of America successfully tested in 1952. With his statements, Oppenheimer feared the scourge of the nuclear arms race in the world and the devastation that might be caused by wars during which hydrogen bombs were used.
With his presidency of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1953, businessman Louis Strauss opposed Oppenheimer's statements about the hydrogen bomb. Based on this, Strauss tended to isolate Oppenheimer by warning American officials of the possible communist tendencies of the father of the atomic bomb.
At the height of McCarthyism, the FBI moved to closely monitor Oppenheimer for threatening national security. In 1954, Oppenheimer's security clearance was confiscated, and he was quickly blacklisted in the country. Because of these measures taken against him, Oppenheimer was prevented from participating in the Atomic Energy Commission, to be content with writing and talking about physics for the following years until his death in 1967 at the age of 62.
Oppenheimer in 1944
Source: websites