Death and legacy Edward Teller

edward teller in later years



appearing on television discussion after dark in 1987

teller died in stanford, california on september 9, 2003, @ age of 95. had suffered stroke 2 days previous, , had long been suffering number of conditions related advanced age.

a wish 100th birthday, made around time of 90th, lawrence livermore s scientists give him excellent predictions-calculations , experiments-about interiors of planets .

in career, teller made contributions nuclear , molecular physics, spectroscopy (the jahn–teller , renner–teller effects), , surface physics. extension of fermi s theory of beta decay (in form of so-called gamow–teller transitions) provided important stepping stone in applications of theory. jahn–teller effect , bet theory have retained original formulation , still mainstays in physics , chemistry. teller made contributions thomas–fermi theory, precursor of density functional theory, standard modern tool in quantum mechanical treatment of complex molecules. in 1953, along nicholas metropolis , marshall rosenbluth, teller co-authored paper standard starting point applications of monte carlo method statistical mechanics.

teller s vigorous advocacy strength through nuclear weapons, when many of wartime colleagues later expressed regret arms race, made him easy target mad scientist stereotype. in 1991 awarded 1 of first ig nobel prizes peace in recognition of lifelong efforts change meaning of peace know . rumored 1 of inspirations character of dr. strangelove in stanley kubrick s 1964 satirical film of same name (others speculated rand theorist herman kahn, mathematician john von neumann, rocket scientist wernher von braun, , secretary of defense robert mcnamara). in aforementioned scientific american interview 1999, reported having bristled @ question: name not strangelove. don t know strangelove. m not interested in strangelove. else can say?... look. 3 times more, , throw out of office. in 1 episode of mission hill (1999), character appears inspired edward teller. character old, has pictures of himself , other scientists in home office , known father of nuclear bomb.

nobel prize winning physicist isidor i. rabi once suggested have been better world without teller. in addition, teller s false claims stanislaw ulam made no significant contribution development of hydrogen bomb (despite ulam s key insights of using compression , staging elements generate thermonuclear reaction) , personal attacks on oppenheimer caused great animosity towards teller within general physics community.

in 1981, teller became founding member of world cultural council.

in 1986, awarded united states military academy s sylvanus thayer award. elected member of u.s. national academy of sciences in 1948. fellow of american academy of arts , sciences, american association advancement of science, , american nuclear society. among honors received albert einstein award in 1958, enrico fermi award in 1962, eringen medal in 1980, harvey prize in 1975, national medal of science in 1983, presidential citizens medal in 1989, , corvin chain (hu) in 2001. named part of group of u.s. scientists time magazine s people of year in 1960, , asteroid, 5006 teller, named after him. awarded presidential medal of freedom president george w. bush in 2003, less 2 months before death.

his final paper, published posthumously, advocated construction of prototype liquid fluoride thorium reactor. genesis , impetus last paper, recounted co-author ralph moir in 2007.