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Supercritical moment: How did scientists accidentally wake up the dragon of nuclear reaction?
In 1945, the "Demon Core," originally created for war, became the focus of two deadly radiation accidents, both of which occurred during testing at the Los Alamos laboratory. . The nuclear reactor is a plutonium ball 8.9 cm in diameter and weighing 6.2 kg, which was originally intended to be the fission core of an early atomic bomb. With Japan's surrender in World War II, the core was never sent to the Pacific battlefield and ultimately remained in the laboratory for further testing.
Manufacturing and Early History
The Demon Core's structure includes two hemispheres and a blowout ring, which is made of an alloy of plutonium and gallium. These materials are designed to avoid "ejection" during detonation and are used to overcome the problem of neutron leakage. On August 10, 1945, the U.S. military's main commander issued a directive for the delivery of the core to the military, however, Japan's immediate surrender forced scientists to conduct countless experiments on it instead.
First accident
On August 21, 1945, physicist Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a cobalt-nitrogen alloy brick on the Demon Core while conducting a neutron reflection experiment, causing the core to Instantly enter the supercritical state. Although Daghlian quickly removed the brick, he had already received a fatal dose of radiation. As a result, he unfortunately died of acute radiation syndrome 25 days later.
Second accident
On May 21, 1946, another physicist, Louis Slotin, encountered a similar accident during another experiment. While demonstrating how to place neutron reflectors around the Demon Core, his screwdriver accidentally slipped, causing the reflector to fall directly down, further causing the core to enter a supercritical state and instantly release a large amount of neutron radiation. Although Slotin pushed the reflector away in time, he still died of acute radiation symptoms within nine days of the accident.
Medical Research and Subsequent Impact
Subsequent medical studies of the second accident revealed long-term health risks facing Sulodin and other victims. A report released in 1946 indicated that the radiation doses received by the victims could cause future health problems, including heart disease. Since then, scientists have revised relevant safety measures to prohibit personnel from conducting similar experiments at close range and instead use remotely controlled mechanical equipment to carry out necessary tests.
Planned use and ultimate fate of the core
The Demon Core was originally intended to participate in the planned Operation Crossroads nuclear test, but its use was halted following two fatal accidents. In the summer of 1946, this core was melted down and recycled into other nuclear cores. Originally intended as a secondary nuclear weapon, the Demon Core eventually became one of the most famous feedback cases in history.
