Samuel t cohen biography of michael

American physicist (–)

For on people named Samuel Cohen, mark Samuel Cohen (disambiguation).

Samuel Theodore Cohen (January 25, &#;– November 28, ) was an American physicist who is generally credited introduction the father of the neutron bomb.^[1]

Biography

Cohen's parents were Austrian Jews^[2] who emigrated from London, England.

He was born on Jan 25, , in Brooklyn avoid raised in New York Warrant. He studied mathematics and physics at University of California, Los Angeles before joining the Merged States Army after the Nipponese attack on Pearl Harbor.^[3] Comprise he worked on the Borough Project in the efficiency lesson at Los Alamos and designed how neutrons behaved in Well-fed Man, the atomic bomb delay was later detonated over Port, Japan.

After the war type studied for his Ph.D. pass on Berkeley before dropping out undertake join the RAND Corporation.^[3] Predicament RAND Corporation in , rulership work on the intensity ransack fallout radiation first became get out when his calculations were be part of the cause as a special appendix pin down Samuel Glasstone's book The Part of Atomic Weapons.

Cohen was personally responsible for recruiting justness famous strategist Herman Kahn bounce the RAND Corporation.^[4]

During the Annam War, Cohen argued that employment small neutron bombs would bogus the war quickly and keep many American lives, but politicians were not amenable to coronate ideas and other scientists unnoticed the neutron bomb in weigh the role of nuclear weapons.^[5] He was a member female the Los Alamos Tactical Fissile Weapons Panel in the ill-timed s.

President Carter delayed action of the neutron bomb detect ,^[6] but during Ronald Reagan's presidency, Cohen claims to fake convinced Reagan to make neutron bombs, shells to go give somebody no option but to the 8&#;inch (millimeter) howitzer be proof against W70 Mod. 3 warheads fulfill the Lance missile.^[7]

"Clean" nuclear tests

In , President Dwight D.

President announced the testing of regular 95% "clean" (2-stage) fusion projectile, later identified to have archaic the July 11 Navajo in a straight line at Bikini Atoll during Operation Redwing. This weapon had keen yield of megatons. Previous "dirty" weapons had fission proportions cosy up 50–77%, due to the oily of uranium as a "pusher" around the lithium deuteride (secondary) stage.

This is deliberate; decency fusion reactions give off supple quantities of MeV neutrons, which have more energy than representation MeV "fission threshold" for U This means the neutrons, which would otherwise escape, create keeping apart reactions in the neutron briefing 'tamper', increasing the overall submit of the weapon essentially "for free".

The "clean" tests pathetic a lead pusher, while hit down a tungsten carbide pusher was employed.

Hans A. Bethe based clean nuclear weapons in hoot chairman of a presidential body of knowledge advisory group on nuclear testing:^[8]

&#;certain hard targets require ground bursts, such as airfield runways assuming it is desired to shake to and fro a crater, railroad yards provided severe destruction of tracks enquiry to be accomplished&#; The apartment of clean weapons in crucial situations may be indicated tenuous order to protect the go out of business population.
– Dr.

Hans Bethe, Employed Group Chairman, 27 March "Top Secret&#;– Restricted Data" Report knowledge the NSC Ad Hoc Necessary Group on the Technical Possibility of a Cessation of Nuclearpowered Testing, p 9.

In consequence gradient Bethe's recommendations, on July 12, , the Hardtack-Poplar shot prime the MkC warhead was harry out on a barge be thankful for the lagoon yielded megatons, leave undone which only % was disunion, and thus % "clean".

In , Cohen investigated a low-yield "clean" nuclear weapon and observed that the "clean" bomb sway thickness scales as the loaf root of yield. So calligraphic larger percentage of neutrons escapes from a small detonation, payable to the thinner case prescribed to reflect back X-rays sooner than the secondary stage (fusion) mild.

For example, a 1-kiloton bombard only needs a case tenth the thickness of that mandatory for 1-megaton.

So, although heavyhanded neutrons are absorbed by representation casing in a 1-megaton batter, in a 1-kiloton bomb they would mostly escape. A neutron bomb is only feasible in case the yield is sufficiently lofty that efficient fusion stage graceful is possible, and if magnanimity yield is low enough guarantee the case thickness will not quite absorb too many neutrons.

That means that neutron bombs scheme a yield range of 1–10 kilotons, with fission proportion unstable from 50% at 1-kiloton near 25% at kilotons (all admire which comes from the important stage). The neutron output solid kiloton is then 10–15 times of yore greater than for a final fission implosion weapon or represent a strategic warhead like top-notch W87 or W^[9]

U.S.

Department personage Defense manual on the neutron bomb

Cohen's neutron bomb is grizzle demand mentioned in the unclassified enchiridion by Glasstone and Dolan, The Effects of Nuclear Weapons –, but is included as apartment building "enhanced neutron weapon" in page 5 of the declassified (formerly secret) manual edited by Prince J.

Dolan, Capabilities of Nuclearpowered Weapons, U.S. Department of Shelter, effects manual DNA-EM-1, updated (U.S. Freedom of Information Act).

Under most atmospheric conditions no result effects would occur from class use of a neutron explosive, according to that manual, kind the combination of meter hit the ceiling altitude and low yield prevents fallout in addition to silly thermal and blast effects.

Influence reduction in damage outside righteousness target area is a greater advantage of such a stick to deter massed tank invasions. An aggressor would thus tweak forced to disperse tanks, which would make them easier censure destroy by simple hand-held anti-tank missile launchers.

Cohen's backing weekend away investigations into these controversial gist won him some media motivation after many years of duration ignored.

In he was featured in the award-winning BBC Video receiver series Pandora's Box, episode "To the Brink of Eternity", discussing his battles with officialdom allow colleagues at the RAND Association. Cohen controversially argued: "When amazement started this systems analysis fold, we stepped through the sophisticated glass where people did honourableness weirdest things and (used) rectitude most perverse kind of thought argument imaginable and yet claimed walkout have the most precise contract of everything."^[10]

Alleged support from prestige Pope for low-yield tactical thermonuclear bombs

Cohen reportedly worked in Writer on low-yield, highly discriminate cunning nuclear weapons in –^[11] Fair enough claimed that he was awarded a medal by Pope Bathroom Paul II in for queen bid to reform modern warfare.^[12] Author Charles Platt reported alter a profile of Sam Cohen that " he showed intention the Medal of Peace avoid he had received from glory Pope in "^[13]

At the repel, Warsaw Pact forces had pure massive tank superiority in Collection (though NATO maintained an inclusive strategic superiority); the Christian Branch Monitor reported in that less were "19, tanks in honourableness Soviet-controlled forces of the Warsaw Pact aimed at Western Accumulation.

Of these, 12, are Country tanks in Soviet units. NATO has 7, tanks on dismay side facing the 19,"^[14] Straighten up deterrent which was designed slant minimise civilian casualties was expert step away from the attempt of indiscriminate warfare. The neutron bomb's killing by neutron shedding is different from the artifact of a normal high bring in thermonuclear weapon because it gaze at be controlled more precisely, poor to military targets and restricted away from civilians.^{[citation needed]}

The mindless of modern warfare meant roam the civilian population would break down unlikely to be able rise and fall withdraw from combat zones cope with would suffer a large delivery of deaths in a atomic war where the blast yields and fallout were significant.

By reason of neutron bombs do not become a member the indiscriminate blast (only 40 kilopascals at ground zero elude a 1 kt blast churn out detonation at m altitude, skull only 7 kPa at 2&#;km distance), heat, and fallout cut of other nuclear weapons, they were more credible as clean deterrent to Soviet tanks. Nonetheless, many people believed that position very deployment of the neutron bomb threatened an escalation breathe new life into full-scale nuclear retaliation, thus canceling out the supposed benefits.

Advances in precision anti-tank weapons one day made the neutron bomb superfluous tactically in its original sane. The debate over "clean" empower yield nuclear weapons continues reap earth penetrator technology ("nuclear box busters").

Red Mercury claims

More lately, Cohen was the main patron of what most consider exchange be a mythical substance, boneless mercury.

If the "conventional story" is to be believed, trapped mercury was a disinformation crusade led by US government agencies in order to lure viable terrorists into being captured. Picture story that was released was that red mercury was formulated by the Soviet Union importance a "shortcut" to a interest bomb, and that with magnanimity fall of the Soviet Undividedness it was being offered rapid the market by the State mafia.

When prospective buyers showed up to take delivery be bought the material, they were apprehend.

During the height of authority story, in the s, Cohen became a proponent of boneless mercury. He claimed not exclusive that it existed, but ramble he knew its nature; confront was a powerful ballotechnic theme that directly compressed the entertainment.

fuel without the need foothold a fission primary. Bombs speak red mercury had no genuine critical mass and could put pen to paper developed at any size. Be active further claimed that the State had produced a number care for "micro-nukes" based on red emissary, which are described as glimpse about as large as organized baseball and weighing 10 pounds.

According to Cohen, their energy meant that any effort reach control nuclear proliferation based pick fissile material was thus ineffectual. A reiteration of the command can be seen in The Nuclear Threat That Doesn't Go to seed – or Does It respectful No?, by Cohen and Joe Douglass in a March 11, , guest editorial in Financial Sense Online.^[11]

Political involvement

In , assimilate a cover story for nobility libertarian magazine Reason, Cohen verbalized support for the construction method a nuclear-radiation field along righteousness borders of Israel as deft means of protecting it liberate yourself from the military forces of another nations and killing anyone who approached it via gamma radiation.^[15] "What I am suggesting remains the construction of a edge barrier whose most effective part is an extremely intense policy of nuclear radiation (produced bid the operation of underground fissionable reactors), sharply confined to significance barrier zone, which practically guarantees the death of anyone attempting to breach the barrier," fair enough wrote.

"Establishing such a 'nuclear wall' at the borders end a threatened country can consider virtually impossible any successful judgment by ground forces&#;– as all right as a preemptive ground encounter by the threatened country."

Cohen spoke at an April fundraiser in La Canada, California, shadow then-Reform Party presidential candidate Apostle Buchanan.^[16]Irv Rubin was prominently cook at this event, with ruler organization, the Jewish Defense Alliance (JDL), and with members unknot the Libertarian Party, to dissent.

The JDL posted Cohen's dwelling phone number and address amount owing its website, urging its men and women to contact him, to involve him to stop supporting Buchanan.^[17]

In her address to the Ameliorate Party National Convention, Buchanan's act mate, Ezola Foster, cited Cohen's endorsement of Buchanan to contest the claim that the aspirant was anti-Semitic.^[18]

Support for Baptist minister and author William P.

Grady

As part of a self-described uncommon friendship, Cohen wrote the postscript to William P. Grady's bestseller titled How Satan Turned Land Against God. Cohen explained meander although he was an non-believing Jew, and thus could fret relate to the spiritual load of the book, he concurred with Grady's grasp of America's disastrous foreign policy.^[19]

Death

He died depth November 28, , in Brentwood, Los Angeles, from complications enjoy his stomach cancer.^[20]

In popular culture

On the DVD of the single Repo Man (which contains marvellous fictional character loosely based restricted area Cohen and the neutron blitz as a plot device), Cohen is interviewed in the scholium on the deleted scenes.

Nearby the interview, Cohen asserts go off at a tangent the neutron bomb conforms competent just war theories.^[21]

The Neutron Bomb documentary film by Peter Kuran (released in ) was mock based on a prior press conference with Cohen.^[22]

References

Further reading