Edward Teller - I did not let Werner Heisenberg sleep (24/147)

To listen to more of Edward Teller’s stories, go to the playlist: • Edward Teller (Scientist)
Hungarian-American physicist, Edward Teller (1908-2003), helped to develop the atomic bomb and provided the theoretical framework for the hydrogen bomb. He remained a staunch advocate of nuclear power, calling for the development of advanced thermonuclear weapons. [Listener: John H. Nuckolls]
TRANSCRIPT: But Heisenberg did another thing for me, he called me in, not much after I arrived, he said- Here are two papers, one by a Dane, one by an American. They are both about the hydrogen molecular ion. Two hydrogen nuclei, two protons, and one electron moving round both of them. The Dane, Buro, I think, was his name, Buro found the solution. The American has proved that Buro is wrong and no solution exists. Who is right? Well, on that one I did well. I went away, read the two papers, and in two days I was back and told Heisenberg in detail why the American objections were wrong. The American postulated a particularly simple behavior of the electrons when they got to- get very far away, at infinity. If you give this in a reasonable way, you got Buro's result. All right, says Heisenberg- that is the lower state of the hydrogen molecule ion, and you say it's correct. Now calculate all the other states. That was the origin of my PhD thesis: "The energy states of the hydrogen molecular ion". I can tell you, I couldn't do it. Nobody else did. Not in the form of definite known formulae. I could do it numerically, using a computing machine. Well, you know, what am I talking about? I am talking about the year 1929. The computing machines were sizable. They had a handle which you could turn and if you turned the handle, you made a lot of noise and you got one number out of it. In the meantime, as you all know, the computers made a little progress. But there I was, you know, not liking to get up early in the morning, I got in late. Each night I was turning the handle and got more and more of the excited states of the hydrogen molecular ion. Now, all this is relevant, because Heisenberg, at that time unmarried, tried, not always effectively, not always successfully, to sleep in the room right above the one where I turned the machine. So I noticed - I did not know it at that time - but I noticed that Heisenberg would come down and started to chat with me. And those were very amusing, very interesting conversations. I remember one when I had to contradict Heisenberg. He said- Now everything is done in physics, what will I do next? I sort of said, not quite in these words- Damn it, aren't you satisfied? And he said to that, very explicitly- No. I think I'll go into music. Well, on another occasion, he came down and asked- When we will be through? I said- I think in one or two years I could finish it. Heisenberg said- I really think you have done enough. I think these are nice results. Just write them up and it will make a good thesis. Now look, I very clearly claim that I got my Doctor's degree because I did not let Heisenberg sleep. I wrote it up, it was published, my first publication. In spite of what I'm saying- what I said, I am even slightly proud of it, not very proud. But I didn't have my Doctor's yet, and that is another story I want to tell you.

[@halestorm123]

Thankyou grandfather for these wonderful talks,

[@MrMawnster]

Loolz

[@climbeverest]

Words of wisdom, I wish there is a transcript, because I cannot decipher everything

[@webofstories]

Hi climbeverest, you can find the transcript in the video description. Kind regards, Web of Stories

[@Jearbearjenkins]

How? I can understand everything just fine. I’m british 😂

[@climbeverest]

Also did he not collude with mccarthy and imprison or shame many eminent physicists during American hunt for commies

[@SardonicALLY]

@@Jearbearjenkins Same here, Irish. People from our countries seem to have a better ear for eccentric voices.

[@jimgaun9607]

more good stuff!

[@liammcooper]

hilarious and insightful

[@SaxeGrove]

Buro = Bohr. Nobelprize 1922.

[@bogdanglisici7662]

I want to add subtitles to this video @Web of Stories - Life Stories of Remarkable People . How do I do it?

[@holysquire8989]

Freeman Dyson thought teller a more consequential physicist than oppenheimer.

[@VideoNOLA]

He's absolutely right about that.

[@martycollins8553]

Curious where the footage is from?

[@allybally0021]

His 26th birthday interview.

[@VideoNOLA]

Teller, brilliant as he may be, is just the kind of man to repeat your own joke back to you at another dinner party, claiming it was originally told to him by Einstein.

[@TheKdizzle1971]

almost dies at 2:02

[@FirstnameLastname-js6tv]

Almost died laughing

[@baraskparas9559]

Heisenberg got a Nobel for the uncertainty principle and thought everything in physics was known? Arrogant stupidity not shared by the careful Dr Teller.

[@jonetyson]

You misunderstood the story.

[@baraskparas9559]

@@jonetyson Maybe you don't get it that we can't quantify how much we can't measure, how much we don't know. Get with it , stooge.

[@rowingaway]

Heisenberg was awarded a Nobel prize for the creation of quantum mechanics, not for the uncertainty principle.

[@baraskparas9559]

@@rowingaway Touche. The world has revered a Nazi ever since . When there are bell curve masses for bosons and neutrinos with 3 mass states it may be time to move on from Nazi physics.

[@fitnesspoint2006]

He is a very closed-minded and closed-off individual

[@simontalbot1950]

Doesn't really matter if he outputs results

[@truthmonster3290]

yes, so close minded he knew as a toddler the adults were nuts, oh, and that x rays were the key in alamogordo.

[@bygmesterfinnegan6938]

You dont build the hydrogen bomb by being close minded