Frisch–Peierls memorandum
E8572
The Frisch–Peierls memorandum was a pivotal 1940 document by physicists Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peierls that first outlined the feasibility of a small, practical uranium-based atomic bomb, helping to catalyze British and later Allied nuclear weapons research.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical document
→
nuclear weapons proposal → scientific memorandum → |
| associatedPerson |
Henry Tizard
→
James Chadwick → Mark Oliphant → |
| associatedWith |
University of Birmingham
→
|
| author |
Otto Frisch
→
Rudolf Peierls → |
| catalyzed |
systematic British research into nuclear weapons
→
|
| commissionedBy |
Rudolf Peierls (self-initiated with Otto Frisch)
→
|
| contrastedWith |
earlier estimates requiring tons of uranium
→
|
| countryOfOrigin |
United Kingdom
→
|
| dateWritten |
March 1940
→
|
| documentFormat |
written report
→
|
| era |
early nuclear age
→
|
| geopoliticalImpact |
contributed to Allied decision to pursue atomic weapons
→
|
| historicalSignificance |
first detailed technical argument that a small, practical uranium bomb was feasible
→
key early step in Allied nuclear weapons development → |
| influenced |
British atomic bomb program
→
MAUD Committee → Manhattan Project → |
| language |
English
→
|
| mainSubject |
atomic bomb design
→
nuclear fission → nuclear weapons feasibility → uranium-235 → |
| proposedBombMass |
on the order of kilograms of uranium-235
→
|
| proposedIsotope |
uranium-235
→
|
| proposedWeaponType |
uranium-based atomic bomb
→
|
| purpose |
to assess feasibility of an atomic bomb
→
to inform the British government about nuclear weapons potential → |
| relatedEvent |
World War II
→
|
| relatedField |
nuclear physics
→
weapons research → |
| securityStatusAtTime |
classified
→
|
| statedProperty |
a compact fission bomb could produce extremely large explosive yields
→
a small critical mass of uranium-235 could sustain a fast neutron chain reaction → a uranium-235 bomb could be delivered by aircraft → industrial-scale isotope separation would be required → no known defense would be effective against such a bomb → |
| submittedTo |
British government scientific authorities
→
Henry Tizard → |
| typeOfAnalysis |
assessment of production requirements
→
estimate of explosive yield → theoretical calculation of critical mass → |
| year |
1940
→
|
Referenced by (6)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Otto Frisch
→
Rudolf Peierls → |
coAuthorOf |
|
MAUD Committee
→
|
influencedBy |
|
Otto Frisch
→
|
knownFor |
|
Rudolf Peierls
→
|
notableWork |
|
Tube Alloys programme
→
|
usedResearchFrom |