Samuel King Allison
Encyclopedia
Samuel King Allison was an American physicist
, most notable for his role in the Manhattan Project
— where among other things he read the countdown
for the detonation of the "Trinity
" test — and his postwar work in the "scientists' movement".
for his undergraduate degree as well as for his PhD
(in chemistry
under the supvervision of William Draper Harkins, though his thesis was related to experimental physics
). From 1923 until 1925 he was a research fellow at Harvard University
and from 1925 until 1926 he was a research fellow at the Carnegie Institution. From 1926 until 1928 he taught physics at University of California, Berkeley
, after which he returned to the University of Chicago, where he studied the Compton effect and the dynamical theory of x-ray diffraction. He developed a high resolution x-ray spectrometer
with a graduate student, John H. Williams
. In the late 1930s, he studied with John Cockcroft
at the Cavendish Laboratory
, learning about linear accelerators, and after returning to Chicago he built one. He authored a textbook on x-ray
s with Arthur Compton
which became widely used.
During World War II
, Allison was a consultant to the National Defense Research Committee
and the S-1 Uranium Committee
, the early investigations into the feasibility of an atomic bomb which would later become the Manhattan Project
. He worked at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory
and was its director from 1943 until 1944. He then went to work at the secret Los Alamos laboratory
in New Mexico
. Notably, he was the one who read the countdown
over the loudspeakers for the "Trinity
" test in 1945.
After the war, Allison became director of the Enrico Fermi Institute of Nuclear Studies
from 1946 until 1957, and again from 1963 until 1965. He was active in the "scientist's movement" for the control of atomic weapons, and was a founder of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
. He was a strong opponent of secrecy in science, and, in an influential speech announcing the creation of the Enrico Fermi Institute said:
Allison died in 1965 while attending the Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Conference in Culham
, England of complications following an aortic aneurism. His papers are kept at the American Institute of Physics
.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, most notable for his role in the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
— where among other things he read the countdown
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of counting backward to indicate the seconds, days, or other time units remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the detonation of a bomb, the start of a race, and the...
for the detonation of the "Trinity
Trinity test
Trinity was the code name of the first test of a nuclear weapon. This test was conducted by the United States Army on July 16, 1945, in the Jornada del Muerto desert about 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, at the new White Sands Proving Ground, which incorporated the Alamogordo Bombing...
" test — and his postwar work in the "scientists' movement".
Biography
Samuel K. Allison was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended the University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
for his undergraduate degree as well as for his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(in chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
under the supvervision of William Draper Harkins, though his thesis was related to experimental physics
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...
). From 1923 until 1925 he was a research fellow at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and from 1925 until 1926 he was a research fellow at the Carnegie Institution. From 1926 until 1928 he taught physics at University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, after which he returned to the University of Chicago, where he studied the Compton effect and the dynamical theory of x-ray diffraction. He developed a high resolution x-ray spectrometer
Spectrometer
A spectrometer is an instrument used to measure properties of light over a specific portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, typically used in spectroscopic analysis to identify materials. The variable measured is most often the light's intensity but could also, for instance, be the polarization...
with a graduate student, John H. Williams
John H. Williams
John H. Williams is a film producer known for his work both in live-action and in animation. He is famous for co-producing the 2001 animated feature Shrek...
. In the late 1930s, he studied with John Cockcroft
John Cockcroft
Sir John Douglas Cockcroft OM KCB CBE FRS was a British physicist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics for splitting the atomic nucleus with Ernest Walton, and was instrumental in the development of nuclear power....
at the Cavendish Laboratory
Cavendish Laboratory
The Cavendish Laboratory is the Department of Physics at the University of Cambridge, and is part of the university's School of Physical Sciences. It was opened in 1874 as a teaching laboratory....
, learning about linear accelerators, and after returning to Chicago he built one. He authored a textbook on x-ray
X-ray
X-radiation is a form of electromagnetic radiation. X-rays have a wavelength in the range of 0.01 to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30 petahertz to 30 exahertz and energies in the range 120 eV to 120 keV. They are shorter in wavelength than UV rays and longer than gamma...
s with Arthur Compton
Arthur Compton
Arthur Holly Compton was an American physicist and Nobel laureate in physics for his discovery of the Compton effect. He served as Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis from 1945 to 1953.-Early years:...
which became widely used.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Allison was a consultant to the National Defense Research Committee
National Defense Research Committee
The National Defense Research Committee was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the United States from June 27, 1940 until June 28, 1941...
and the S-1 Uranium Committee
S-1 Uranium Committee
The S-1 Uranium Committee was a Committee of the National Defense Research Committee that succeeded the Briggs Advisory Committee on Uranium and later evolved into the Manhattan Project.- World War II begins :...
, the early investigations into the feasibility of an atomic bomb which would later become the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
. He worked at the Chicago Metallurgical Laboratory
Metallurgical Laboratory
The Metallurgical Laboratory or "Met Lab" at the University of Chicago was part of the World War II–era Manhattan Project, created by the United States to develop an atomic bomb...
and was its director from 1943 until 1944. He then went to work at the secret Los Alamos laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. Notably, he was the one who read the countdown
Countdown
A countdown is a sequence of counting backward to indicate the seconds, days, or other time units remaining before an event occurs or a deadline expires. Typical events for which a countdown is used include the launch of a rocket or spacecraft, the detonation of a bomb, the start of a race, and the...
over the loudspeakers for the "Trinity
Trinity test
Trinity was the code name of the first test of a nuclear weapon. This test was conducted by the United States Army on July 16, 1945, in the Jornada del Muerto desert about 35 miles southeast of Socorro, New Mexico, at the new White Sands Proving Ground, which incorporated the Alamogordo Bombing...
" test in 1945.
Enrico Fermi Institute
The Institute for Nuclear Studies was founded September, 1945 as part of the University of Chicago with Samuel King Allison as director. On November 20, 1955 it was renamed The Enrico Fermi Institute for Nuclear Studies...
from 1946 until 1957, and again from 1963 until 1965. He was active in the "scientist's movement" for the control of atomic weapons, and was a founder of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists is a nontechnical online magazine that covers global security and public policy issues, especially related to the dangers posed by nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction...
. He was a strong opponent of secrecy in science, and, in an influential speech announcing the creation of the Enrico Fermi Institute said:
- We are determined to return to free research as before the war. If secrecy is imposed on scientific research in physics, we will find all first-rate scientists working on subjects as innocuous as the colors of butterfly wings.
Allison died in 1965 while attending the Plasma Physics and Controlled Nuclear Fusion Research Conference in Culham
Culham
Culham is a village and civil parish on the north bank of the River Thames, just over south of Abingdon in Oxfordshire.-Manor:The toponym comes from the Old English Cula's hamm, referring to the village's position in a bend of the Thames...
, England of complications following an aortic aneurism. His papers are kept at the American Institute of Physics
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
.
External links
- Manhattan Project and Atomic Scientists Collections, American Institute of PhysicsAmerican Institute of PhysicsThe American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
. - Annotated bibliography for Samuel Allison, Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear IssuesAlsos Digital Library for Nuclear IssuesThe Alsos Digital Library for Nuclear Issues is a searchable collection of vetted annotations and bibliographic information for resources including books, articles, films, CD-ROMs , and websites pertaining to nuclear topics...
, Washington and Lee UniversityWashington and Lee UniversityWashington and Lee University is a private liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States.The classical school from which Washington and Lee descended was established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, about north of its present location. In 1776 it was renamed Liberty Hall in a burst of...
.