Edward Teller

On this day in 1908, one of the most controversial scientists of the 20th Century was born: Edward Teller. Teller wrote numerous research papers and had a profound impact on quantum physics during the 1930s. It is his later work regarding the Hydrogen bomb and his testimony regarding the revoking of Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance that he is remembered more for today. Teller was originally from Hungary and it was the political tension in Hungary in the 1920s that shaped his lifelong distaste for both fascism and communism. One aspect of his life that is rarely mentioned, is that he had no right foot: it was severed in a streetcar accident in Munich while he was a student, requiring him to wear a prosthetic and have a limp for the rest of his life. Teller received his Ph.D. in physics under Werner Heisenberg at the University of Leipzig. His dissertation dealt with one of the first accurate quantum mechanical treatments of the hydrogen molecular ion. He immigrated to the US in the 1930s and was one of the key scientists who persuaded Einstein to write a letter to President Roosevelt warning of the dangers of the Germans developing an atomic bomb. Needless to say he was one of the first scientists to volunteered to work on the Manhattan Project, the US push to develop the atomic bomb (you can see his badge ID below). During this time he was heavily involved in debates over the ethical use of such weapons, particularly on whether the bomb should be used on a civilian target. As the war went on Teller began pushing for the development of a fusion bomb, the H-bomb. Oppenheimer, still then the scientific leader of the project, refused to do so, stating that it would dilute resources away from building up the atomic weapon stockpile. This slight, as Teller saw it, would have profound consequences at a later date. In the 1950s, Oppenheimer was still a well respected advisor but the witch hunts against communist sympathizers led to a hearing in which Teller testified against him, and for Oppenheimer to lose his security clearance (you can read more about some newly discovered documents and the Catch-22 nature of Oppenheimer’s defense at http://blog.nuclearsecrecy.com/2015/01/09/oppenheimer-unredacted-part-i/). The move led to Teller being ostracized by much of the scientific community for many many years. Instead of returning to academia, like many scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, Teller remained working at a government lab for the rest of his life. He helped persuade the government to create a new weapons lab, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), and was both its director and associate director for many years. Teller was a well-known advocate for using technology to solve seemingly unsolvable problems. Sometimes however, they were unsolvable such as his push to develop the Strategic Defense Initiative during the 1980s, in which space-borne weapons platforms would shoot missiles out of the sky or to use H-bombs to excavate new harbors in Alaska. Another area in which he doesn’t get much credit, is warning about climate change and the risks of pumping too much carbon in the atmosphere. He gave a speech on the topic in 1957. One of the greatest fears for anyone presenting a seminar at Lawrence Livermore was having Teller in the front row. Sometimes in later years, he would appear to be dozing, only to wake up and ask a penetrating question that would fluster the speaker. On a personal note, hearing on the phone the words “This is Edward Teller” would immediately lead you to straighten your tie, and answer the questions he asked clearly and succinctly. Teller died in Stanford, California on September 9, 2003, at the age of 95. He was still conducting research up until the day of his death (you can read his final paper at http://www.ans.org/pubs/journals/nt/a_3655 ).

Date in History: 15 January 1908