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.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Frisch–Peierls memorandum canonical | 6 |
| Peierls–Frisch memorandum | 1 |
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historical document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
ⓘ
surface form:
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 (7)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
subject surface form:
Rudolf Peierls
this entity surface form:
Peierls–Frisch memorandum