Javier Luzuriaga (Lab. Bajas Temperaturas)

Javier Luzuriaga (Lab. Bajas Temperaturas)
Huemul Project goes public : march 1952.
-- "El 16 de febrero de 1951 en la Planta Piloto de Energía Atómica
en la Isla Huemul, de San Carlos de Bariloche, se llevaron a cabo
reacciones termonucleares bajo condiciones de control en
escala técnica."
- El secreto Atómico de Huemul- M. Mariscotti
- J. A. Balseiro, cronica…
- A. López D. , N. Badino.
Ronald Richter
“ Evaluation process”
“ Peer Review “
“Candidate´s
Interview”
Kurt Tank
directly with the President of the country.
24/8/1948- (one week after arrival)
Born 1909: Falkenau a.d. Eger
Estudios:
(Austro Hungarian Empire)
(`Sudeten germans´)
German U. in Prague 1928 -1934 _-> Dr.
Self employed, private laboratory (well to do father, mining )
“became a scientist by hobby not by profession”
WW II : lab. of von Ardenne,
aviation industry, AEG
`Personality clash´ with von Ardenne
NO published work
Claimed patents destroyed during the war.
Prior history:
Kurt Tank, airplane designer during WW II (Focke Wulf 190)
came to Argentina in 1947, knew Richter slightly.
FW- Ta 183
Pulqui II
MIG 15
“Proyecto Huemul”
timeline:
• 1948- 24/8 Richter - Perón interview –
• 
- Richter settles in Córdoba (airplane factory)
- (november), signs contract as head of Nuclear Research in the country.
•  1949- Richter claims “sabotage” in the Córdoba laboratory.
- Perón charges Coronel Enrique González (Migraciones…) with
resolving this conflict.
(june) Isla Huemul is picked as location for the lab.
(july) Bulldozers start work on the island.
• 1950 (march) Richter moves to Bariloche.An asistant (Erhenberg) arrives
(april ) Perón and Evita visit the island.
(may) National Atomic Energy Comission (CNEA) is created.
• 
Huemul island chosen as an isolated spot, to insure secrecy
Ehrenberg, Richter, Frau Richter, Jaffke
31 mayo 1950- Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica
(Perón, Gonzalez,Richter, Mende)
Control room
Inductance,
collaborators
• 1951 (march) Anoncement of success in achieving Controlled Fusion
construction of “Great Reactor” starts immediately.
•  1952 Richter is more erratic than ever,
• 
Fight with González, González resigns.
• 
(september) visit of the “ Comisión Investigadora” .
• 
(november) Project is closed.
`Great Reactor´
Mayo 1950
exterior
Interior
12m high, 12 m diameter
4m high 4m diameter
- cement filling starts
Few months later, demolished by Richter´s order.
Richter, Báncora, Balseiro:
“Comisión Técnica” Report
-- Larmor precession imposible.
[by three orders of magnitude]
Báncora:
-- circuit --> is a “Singing arc”
[frequency enhanced when injecting H, electronic
noise is enhanced and makes the Geiger counters tick]
Heavy Water factory (Erhenberg), had no control at all of the
enrichment produced.
http://www.ib.edu.ar/index.php/historia-del-ib/informes-sobre-las-actividades-en-laisla-huemul.html
post-Richter History:
1960:
Bariloche:
1953-1954 : summer schools
Agosto 1955 – “Instituto de Física”
1960- Escuela de Física
http://www.ancefn.org.ar/fotored/fisica/
001/resultados.htm
Thanks for your
attention