Sir Rudolf Ernst Peierls, (June 5, 1907, Berlin – September 19, 1995, Oxford), was a German-born British physicist. June 5 is the 156th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (157th in leap years), with 209 days remaining. ... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the city in Germany. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... A physicist is a scientist trained in physics. ...

The son of a Jewish businessman, he studied nuclear physics under the tutelage of Werner Heisenberg and Wolfgang Pauli. His early work on quantum physics led to the theory of positive carriers to explain the thermal and electrical conductivity behaviors of semiconductors. He moved to the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England, when Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany. In 1939, he started working on atomic research with Otto Frisch and James Chadwick. // The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי transliterated: Yehudi) is used in many ways, but generally refers to a follower of Judaism, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity; and often a combination of these attributes. ... Nuclear physics is the branch of physics concerned with the nucleus of the atom. ... Werner Heisenberg Werner Karl Heisenberg (December 5, 1901 – February 1, 1976) was a celebrated German physicist and Nobel laureate, one of the founders of quantum mechanics. ... Wolfgang Pauli Wolfgang Ernst Pauli (April 25, 1900 – December 15, 1958) was an Austrian physicist noted for his work on the theory of spin. ... Fig. ... A semiconductor is a material with an electrical conductivity that is intermediate between that of an insulator and a conductor. ... The University of Birmingham is the oldest of three universities in the English city of Birmingham. ... See also Birmingham, USA, and other places called Birmingham. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... ▶(?) (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 and Führer und Reichskanzler (Leader and Chancellor) of Germany from 1934 to his death by suicide. ... // Events January-March January 2 - End of term for Frank Finley Merriam, 28th Governor of California. ... Sir James Chadwick (October 20, 1897 – July 24, 1974) was an English physicist and Nobel laureate. ...

In March 1940, he co-authored the Frisch-Peierls memorandum. This short paper was the first to set out how one could devise an atomic bomb from a small amount of fissable uranium-235. They calculated that about 1lb would be needed. Until then it had been assumed that such a bomb would require many tons of uranium, and consequently was impractical to build and use. The paper was pivotal in igniting the interest of first the British and later the American authorities in atomic weapons. Its findings made their way to the United States through the report of the MAUD Committee, an important trigger in the establishment of the Manhattan Project and the subsequent development of the atomic bomb. 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Frisch-Peierls memorandum was written by Otto Frisch and Rudolf Peierls while they were both working at Birmingham University, England. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 lifted nuclear fallout some 18km (60,000 feet) above the epicenter. ... The Maud Committee was the beginning of the British atomic bomb project, before the United Kingdom joined forces with the United States in the Manhattan Project. ... Control panels and operators for calutrons at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. ...

Peierls joined the Manhattan Project in 1943, having been excluded from joining in the early years because of his German origin. 1943 (MCMXLIII) is a common year starting on Friday. ...

After the war, Peierls reassumed his position in the physics department at Birmingham University where he worked until 1963 before joining the University of Oxford. He was knighted in 1968. He retired from Oxford in 1974. He wrote several books including The Laws of Nature (1955), Surprises in Theoretical Physics (1979), More Surprises in Theoretical Physics (1991) and an autobiography, Bird of Passage (1985). The University of Birmingham is the oldest of three universities in the English city of Birmingham. ... 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford, England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ...

In 1980 he received the Enrico Fermi Award from the US Government for exceptional contribution to the science of atomic energy [1]. 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Enrico Fermi Award is a U.S. government Presidential award honoring scientists of international stature for their lifetime achievement in the development, use, or production of energy. ...

On 2 October 2004, the building housing the sub-department of Theoretical Physics at Oxford University was formally named the Sir Rudolf Peierls Centre for Theoretical Physics. October 2 is the 275th day (276th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Theoretical physics is physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions rather than experimental processes. ... The University of Oxford, located in the city of Oxford in England, is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. ...

External links

• Selected Scientific Papers of Sir Rudolf Peierls, edited by R H Dalitz & Sir Rudolf Peierls, World Scientific Series in 20th Century Physics, Volume 19, 1997.
• Pictures in the National Portrait Gallery, London.