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Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > History of science
This special book is a compilation of essays on a remarkable but
little-known story that lasted over half a century of
world-renowned physicist, the late Sir Rudolf Peierls and his wife
Genia Kannegiser. Peierls collected a lot of prestigious awards in
his lifetime, and in the beginning of WW2, he and Otto Frisch were
responsible for the inception of the Anglo-American nuclear program
(1940). He was also one of the key contributors in the research at
Los Alamos during those turbulent times.Most previous books on
Peierls have focused on his scientific research, while the contents
for this volume sheds light on his private life in dramatic
circumstances. The extensive contributions were not only gathered
from the relatives of Genia, the couple's daughters, Landau's
students, and from Russian and English archives, but they also
include the unique perspectives of the author who is a professional
theoretical physicist and is also fluent in Russian, his native
language.So, this fascinating story of love, friendship and physics
between Rudolf and Genia is being told for the first time from a
surprisingly new angle through correspondence between Genia and
Rudolf, memoirs and other documents, interesting and informal
excerpts from Peierls' private 'diary' covering the years 1979-1994
that will take the reader on a journey through communism, world
war, the trials and tribulations of the loving couple with
distinctly very different personalities.
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