Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-15
Huge EIectron Sought
To Tome H-Bomb Power
Continued From First Page

u~NuuuS
Continued From First Page
erful than anything yet de-
veloped IN Britain or Russia.
Alternative: Absolute Zero
The new prospect is that the
fusion process can be carried
out at the other end Of the
temperature scale--very close
to the unattainable absolute
zero at which all molecular
motion stops. II depends on q
reaction discovered by DR.. Luis
Alvarez Of the University OF
California. one Of the most
eminent Of living atomic ply
sicists. This reaction has been
described hitherto only in high
" technical language In q high
ly technical journal.
In order for the fusion proc
ess to take place. 1t is neces-
sary for the nuclei Of two
deuterium atoms TO come with
in q tenth-of-a-trillionth Of q
centimeter--or about q 25th-of-
a-trillionth Of an inch--of each
other. The deuterium atom nu-
cleus consists Of one proton. q
positively charged elementary
particle. and one neutron. OF
the same mass as the proton
but carrying no charge. Pro-
tons normally repel one an
other. Only at the enormously
small distance cited above does
the so-ealled nuclear force
come into action to pull the
elementary particles together,
This nuclear force is more than
a million times greater than
the normal electrical repulsive
forces. and completely over
whelms them.
Purpose Of Intense Heat
1t Is to bring about the neces-
sary close approach Of the
atomic nuclei that enormous
temperature has been sought.
The effort Is to drive the nu-
cleii together by the intense
agitation that occurs under
extereme heat.
Under any conditions. how
ever. actual fusions Of deuter-
ium nuclei are quite rare. The
electrical repulsive force Of the
protons at normal distances is
supplemented by another re-
pulsive force existing between
he outer. or planetary. electrcns
Of deuterium atoms. TWO atoms
hardly ever come closer than
the orbits Of their planetary
electrons. This distance has
been described as equivalent,
on an atomic scale. to distances
Of the solar systems planets
from the sun on a cosmic scale,
1t is much greater than the dis
lance at which the nuclear at
traetive force makes itself felt
This IS one great impeachment
70 fusion. Another Is the fact
that there is a quite limited
amount Of deuterium in any
given mass Of hydrogen-ab0ut
one atom In q thousand on
Whereabouts.
Nelson's Discovered
Now . major development In
physics during the last decade
has been discovery Of many
other particles In the atom be-
sides the old familiar electrons.
protons and neutrons. Most
notable among these are the
so-called mesons. These appear
only when the nucleus Of an
atom Is disintegrated. as when
struck by a eosmic ray or N
an demonstrating machine. :
such as the cyclotron or beva-
trOn. Nelson's are believed to De
minute bits Of the mysterious
nuclear energy transmitted
briefly into matter. They exist
in this form only for extremely
brief periods for example.
somewhat less than q trillionth
Of q second.
Up 70 now they have been
about the most useless things In
creation. Of meaning only 70
physicists studying the funda-
mental properties Of matter
This was all DR.. Alvarez had in
mind when he started his ex-
periments. DR.. Krasner empha-
sizes. It was entirely a long
haired" activity.
Like ElectrOns and PrOtOns
Nov these new elementary
particles have the properties Oi
electrons and protons. One Of
them. the so-called mu meson
appears to be precisely like ar
electron except for It's very briei
life and the fact that it is pre-
cisely 207 times heavier. By
complex physical techniques II
can be made to replace q plane
tary electron Of an atom. A
deuterium atom. which has only
one planetary electron. thus be.
comes q pure mu-mesic atom
Physicists have been playinl
with these, apparently with M
definite ideas in mind. for 4
couple Of years.
A heavy atom is a compact
atom. It follows from its weigh
that the diameter Of the orbii
Of the mu meson around thu
nucleus Of the deuterium atom
Ia only 4 2O7th that Of the Orbii