Chapter 8 "Stirring and Digging" Summary

George Gamov sees the Solvey Converence in Brussels in 1933 as his means of escape from Russia, rapidly becoming inhospitable to theoretical physicists, and both he and his wife Rho attend en route to America. The Conference is devoted to nuclear physics. Those attending include Marie Curie, Rutherford, Bohr, Lisa Meitner, Heisenberg, Pauli, Enrico Fermi, Chadwick, Gamow, Irene and Frederick Joliot-Curie, Patrick Blacket, and Rudolf Peierls. Ernest Lawrence is the token American. They debate the structure of the proton. The Joliots have discovered how to make matter radioactive by artificial means, which is confirmed by the new Geiger counter. Marie Curie, Irene's mother, is overjoyed that they have demonstrated artificially forcing the nucleus to release some of its energy in radioactive decay.

Leo Szilard, now in London, becomes obsessed with chain reactions. He files patent applications...