Alumnus J. Robert Oppenheimer’s briefing notes, compiled while developing the atomic bomb, are on display at the Wren Library, Trinity College as part of Open Cambridge until 17 September 2023.
Oppenheimer’s typed notes labelled ‘secret’ and compiled in June 1942 with his chief aide, John Henry Manly, outline the 14 ‘fast neutron projects’ required in the development of the atomic bomb.
American Oppenheimer spent two terms at Christ’s College in 1925-6 before completing a PhD in physics at the University of Göttingen.
The physicist is currently in the public eye because of Christopher Nolan’s box office hit Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy.
In 1943 American Oppenheimer was appointed director of the Manhattan Project's Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico, tasked with developing the first nuclear weapons.
In a rare interview in 1965 with Stephane Groueff, Oppenheimer said:
“When we went to Los Alamos, it was not known how many neutrons were emitted when nuclear had fission with fast neutrons. And of course, without knowing that, you did not know if it would work or not.
It was not known whether there were any time delays and if so, how long they were. Without that you could not have an explosive. So our first experiments were directed towards these fundamental questions of feasibility.”
Also on display at the Wren Library is an eyewitness account by Otto Frisch of the detonation of the test bomb in 1945. Frisch joined the Los Alamos team as head of the critical assembly team in 1943 and later became Professor of Physics at Cambridge and a Fellow of Trinity College.
A sketch of Oppenheimer by Frisch is among other documents and photographs on show.
The Wren Library is open to the public from Monday 11 September to Friday 15 September, 12 noon to 2pm; and on Saturday 9 and Saturday 16 September, 10am to 4pm.
Read more about Open Cambridge, on the BBC, and in New Musical Express.
Listen to the interview with Oppenheimer on the Voices of Manhattan Project.