Louis Slotin
Physicist known for critical mass accident
Born
1910
115 years ago
Died
May 30th, 1946
79 years ago — 36 years old
Category
Scientists & Innovators
Country
Canada
Links & References
A Canadian physicist and chemist, Slotin made significant contributions to the Manhattan Project during World War II. His work focused on the critical assembly of nuclear materials, particularly plutonium. On May 21, 1946, while conducting a critical mass experiment at Los Alamos Laboratory, an accidental criticality occurred, leading to a lethal radiation exposure. Slotin was severely irradiated and died nine days later. This incident highlighted the dangers associated with handling nuclear materials and prompted changes in safety protocols for future experiments.
Conducted critical mass experiments
Worked on the Manhattan Project
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