The narrative begins in 1896 in Paris, where Henri Becquerel accidentally discovers that uranium naturally emits a ray, later known as radioactivity. This discovery sets the stage for further exploration into the structure of the atom, leading to the understanding that electrons revolve around a nucleus composed of protons and neutrons.
In 1938, German chemists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann discovered nuclear fission, where an atom of uranium, when bombarded with a neutron, is divided into two, releasing energy. In 1939, Frederick Giulio Curie discovered that during the nuclear fission of uranium, three neutrons are ejected, which could cause further fission of atoms. This led to the discovery of the ability to initiate a chain reaction, thus producing a large amount of energy.
The narrative then jumps to World War II. Germany, under the leadership of Albert Einstein, continued to research on uranium. The United States, upon the influx of European scientists fleeing the war, invested heavily in research at the University of California. Glenn Seaborg discovered that irradiated uranium produces a tiny amount of plutonium, a new radioactive metal that can trigger a chain reaction.
In 1942, the United States secretly launched the Manhattan Project in collaboration with Canada and the United Kingdom. The goal was to create the atomic bomb using uranium and plutonium. The bombs were successfully developed and tested in 1945, causing significant damage and loss of life.
The narrative then moves on to the Cold War, where both the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a frantic arms race, spending large sums to gain technological superiority and possess the world's largest nuclear arsenal. The United Kingdom tested its first atomic bomb, and the United States tested its first thermonuclear bomb, also known as the hydrogen or H-bomb.
In parallel, research was made to develop nuclear power. The first nuclear power plants appeared, with the majority of future reactors being pressurized water reactors. However, the nuclear power industry faced significant challenges, including the production of radioactive waste with lifespans of several hundred to thousands of years.
The narrative ends with the recent developments in nuclear power. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), being carried out in France, is being developed to study the possibility of building nuclear fusion power plants over the long term. This could offer a new type of power plant that would produce a large amount of electricity with little raw material and very little radioactive waste.
Here are some key facts extracted from the text:
1. Henri Becquerel discovered that uranium emits radiation in 1896.
2. Marie and Pierre Curie coined the term radioactivity and discovered other radioactive elements.
3. Ernest Rutherford proposed that radioactivity is the result of the disintegration of atoms.
4. Hahn and Strassman discovered nuclear fission of uranium in 1938.
5. Frederick Joliot-Curie discovered the possibility of a chain reaction of nuclear fission in 1939.
6. The United States launched the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb during World War II.
7. The United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, ending the war with Japan.
8. The USSR tested its first atomic bomb in 1949, starting the Cold War and the nuclear arms race with the US.
9. The US and the USSR developed and tested thermonuclear bombs (hydrogen bombs) in the 1950s, which use nuclear fusion to create more powerful explosions.
10. The first nuclear power plants were built in the 1950s, using nuclear fission to generate electricity.
11. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was created in 1957 to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and prevent its misuse for military purposes.
12. Nuclear energy was also used for medical purposes, such as imaging and cancer treatment.
13. The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was introduced in 1968, dividing the world into five recognized nuclear powers (US, USSR, UK, France, China) and other countries that agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons.
14. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was a major confrontation between the US and the USSR over the deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba and Turkey, which was resolved peacefully through negotiations.
15. India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea developed nuclear weapons outside the NPT framework, raising international concerns and tensions.
16. The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was introduced in 1996, banning all nuclear explosions for any purpose, but it has not entered into force due to the lack of ratification by some countries.
17. Three major nuclear accidents occurred at Three Mile Island (1979), Chernobyl (1986), and Fukushima (2011), causing environmental damage, health risks, and public opposition to nuclear power.
18. After the end of the Cold War, the US and Russia reduced their nuclear arsenals, but they still possess thousands of nuclear weapons.
19. Nuclear power plants produce about 10% of the world's electricity, but they face challenges such as aging reactors, high costs, waste management, and safety issues.
20. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is a collaborative project to study the feasibility of nuclear fusion as a future source of energy, which could offer more advantages than nuclear fission.