Chairman Mao once said that if you are backward, you will be beaten, and Chinese only if you have your own atomic bomb can you speak internationally, which shows how important the atomic bomb is to the national defense of a country's army. Speaking of atomic bombs, most people's first reaction will be to think of Qian Xuesen, the "father of missiles" in China. In fact, there is also a female physicist in China who is also indispensable to the production of the atomic bomb.
This female material scientist is Wu Jianxiong. The name Wu Jianxiong does not sound like a girl's name at first, but has more masculinity, perhaps this is also destined to be an unusual woman in the dark. Wu Jianxiong is a rare physicist, and although she made a remarkable contribution to the production of the first atomic bomb in the United States, her heart has always been toward China.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" >, born in Suzhou and Hangzhou</h1>
As the old saying goes, there is heaven on the top and Suzhou and Hangzhou on the bottom, and Wu Jianxiong was born in Liuhe Town, an ancient xiang town in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. Su Hang's unique gentle temperament coupled with the family of scholars, Wu Jianxiong came out of the pavilion. Wu Jianxiong also has a nickname "Wei Wei", which is only named after Wu Jianxiong because of the family ranking.
Wu Jianxiong has been reading poetry since he was a child and has excellent academic performance. Because Wu Jianxiong's father, Wu Zhongyi, has always advocated equality between men and women, he hopes that his daughter can also learn and succeed, and she will not let her eyebrows be shaved. The name Wu Jianxiong also has high hopes, hoping that his daughter can thrive and be healthy and majestic.
Wu Jianxiong's delicate appearance and name can be said to be diametrically opposed, but his personality is as strong and resolute as the name. Wu Jianxiong had excellent grades when he was studying, and after graduation, he listened to his family's advice and became a people's teacher. Many people think that as a woman, being able to teach and educate people to get married early is her best destination, but Wu Jianxiong does not think so.
During his tenure as a primary school teacher, Wu Jianxiong did not forget to study hard, and finally entered the National Central University in 1929 with excellent results. In college, at first Wu Jianxiong chose the department of mathematics, because her grades were very good, mathematics alone could not satisfy her curiosity, so she slowly went into the library to learn other knowledge.
Wu Jianxiong was deeply attracted by physics books such as electronics and radioactivity, and she suddenly felt that physics was the discipline she really liked, so in her sophomore year, she transferred to the physics department and began to explore the world of physics.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" > second, into physics</h1>
In the four years of college, Wu Jianxiong devoted himself to his studies and successfully graduated with an excellent thesis. After graduation, Wu Jianxiong taught physics at Zhejiang University, and also began experimental research in physics. Through continuous hard work, Wu Jianxiong was finally admitted to the University of California in 1936, constantly exploring the world of physics and pursuing a doctorate.
During his studies in the United States, Wu Jianxiong's doctoral supervisors were the most powerful figures in the physics world that year. In 1938, Wu Jianxiong began experiments with her mentors in nuclear physics, and her abilities and talents were slowly excavated. It can be said that Wu Jianxiong was a rising star in the physics community that year.
In 1939, with the success of the uranium nuclear splitting experiment, Wu Jianxiong also slowly spread his name in the physics community, which also laid the foundation for the future "Manhattan Project". In 1937, in order to resist the further implementation of the Nazi "uranium project", American scientists began to prepare for the plan to build an atomic bomb, also known as the "Manhattan Project".
The scientists who implemented the "Manhattan Project" were basically the big names in the field of physics, and in order to implement this plan, nearly 100,000 people were gathered to participate. At first, Wu Jianxiong was not in the invited ranks, although she would have a little fame in the physics world, but no one would believe that a little girl from the East had much ability.
Later, under the recommendation of his mentor Oppenheimer, Wu Jianxiong participated in it. The implementation of the "Manhattan Project" is not smooth sailing, and the process is also very difficult. Wu Jianxiong's participation can be described as a charcoal in the snow, her many studies, so that the manufacture of atomic bombs have a new breakthrough, the successful production of atomic bombs Wu Jianxiong can be said to be indispensable.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="7" > third, the heart of the motherland</h1>
After graduating with a Ph.D. in 1940, Wu began teaching at Smith College, married the Chinese-American physicist Yuan Jiaxiao in 1942, and actually settled in the United States two years later, working as a lecturer in physics at Princeton University. In 1952, Wu became the first female associate professor of Chinese descent at Columbia University.
In 1956, Wu Jianxiong began experimenting with Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhenningti on the non-conservation of cosmic names during the β decay. The results of many experiments have proved that the previously proposed theory of symmetry nonconstitution is correct, which is also a major breakthrough in the physics community.
In 1957, through repeated experiments, Wu Jianxiong once again confirmed that the previous idea was correct. Columbia University attaches great importance to Wu Jianxiong's new discovery, and also held a special press conference, which was also reported by the New York Times. This news shocked the entire physics community, and physicists throughout the world applauded Wu Jianxiong.
This experiment undoubtedly had a huge impact on the physics community, but it is a pity that Wu Jianxiong did not win the Nobel Prize for it. Because the Nobel Prize for the same award can only be awarded by up to 3 people at the same time, and there were 4 people participating in the experiment at that time, the award was finally awarded to Yang Zhenning and Li Zhengdao, who proposed the principle, and Wu Jianxiong and Lederman did not win the prize.
A scientist may not come up with breakthrough research results to win an award, but being understood and recognized by the world is the hope of every scientist. Although Wu Jianxiong did not win the Nobel Prize, she is the uncrowned king in the hearts of all.
In 1958, Wu Jianxiong was promoted to full professor at Columbia University. In the same year, Princeton University awarded Wu jianxiong an honorary doctorate, which was the first female recipient in the hundred years since the title was established. Wu Jianxiong's achievements are undoubtedly unprecedented, and her deeds have also been included in the Who's Who of American Science.
Although Wu Jianxiong is far away in the United States, her heart has always been tied to China. In 1982, Wu Jianxiong became an honorary professor of many universities in China, and she always wanted to return to China to give lectures, and finally in 1984 she gave a series of lectures on the decay of β and the non-conservation of cosmology in Nanjing.
In 1984, Wu Jianxiong finally returned to his beloved hometown and donated to his alma mater. In the following years, Wu Jianxiong went to Nanjing University for exchanges many times and participated in lectures held by the Department of Physics. In 1997, Wu jianxiong finally died in New York. Before her death, she made a will to bury her ashes in her hometown in China.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="9" >4</h1>
Wu Jianxiong devoted his life to the cause of physics, and he could sing and cry. Although she did not win the Nobel Prize, her achievements have been recognized by the world and do not need to be proved by awards. For her, being able to fight for her favorite career for a lifetime is probably the happiest thing. Because of her patriotism, although Wu Jianxiong has been working in the United States, she has even been praised as a permanent Chinese.