Philip hauge abelson biography of abraham

Philip Hauge Abelson April 27, — August 1, was an American physicist, a scientific editor, and a science writer. Abelson was born on April 27, , [1] in Tacoma , Washington. He was among the first American scientists to verify nuclear fission in an article submitted to the Physical Review in February It was while he was here that he worked on a substance that emitted beta rays and was produced by irradiation of uranium with neutrons.

After he collaborated with the Nobel Prize laureate Luis Alvarez they isolated the material, and became the co-discoverer of neptunium on 8 June with Edwin McMillan.

Abelson, Philip Hauge, These warm

After the war, he turned his attention under the guidance of Ross Gunn to applying nuclear power to naval propulsion. While not written at an engineering-design level, he wrote the first physics report detailing how a nuclear reactor could be installed in a submarine , providing both propulsion and electrical power. His report anticipated the nuclear submarine 's role as a missile platform.

This concept was later supported by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover and others. Under Rickover, the concept became reality in the form of USS Nautilus , the world's first nuclear submarine. In , he returned to work at the Carnegie Institution , which published his report "Atomic Energy Submarine," in March of that year. From until he served as the president of the American Geophysical Union.

Abelson was outspoken and well known for his opinions on science. In a editorial published in Science magazine, Abelson identified overspecialization in science as a form of bigotry.