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PROJECT PLANINSANELY CLEVER

THE AMAZING LIFE OF ALBERT GHIORSO, THE ULTIMATE ALCHEMIST

Robert W. Schmieder

R. W. Schmieder – Ghiorso – v. 0.43 Updated: 2/25/10 of 18


THE BEGINNINGImmortality was, oh, so very close. Albert Ghiorso, the insanely clever element-

hunter, was about to have an element named for him—Ghiorsium. It was atomic number 118, one of those mysterious superheavy elements that lie beyond Uranium, beyond Americium and Berkelium, beyond Einsteinium and Fermium, beyond even Seaborgium, number 106. If God had ever created any of those, He had long since watched them spontaneously disintegrate—typically in a few seconds, or much less. Albert’s element had to be produced one atom at a time, in a very expensive particle accelerator; it took a week to get a single atom. All told, only four atoms were spotted, each for only a millisecond. Pretty expensive stuff, but the stuff of immortality, nevertheless.

Then, just as everyone was getting used to the idea, it was discovered that one of the physicists had very slightly fudged the data—gently nudging a number here and there to ensure what he thought was a sure thing. But that tiny act triggered a runaway reaction that destroyed everyone’s confidence in the experiments, and the claim for 118 was yanked back. Ghiorsium was suddenly Notanelementium, and Ghiorso had to be content to be merely

The Man Who Discovered More Elements than Anyone Else in History. But it’s not over, even as I write this. There are lots of superheavy elements on the

verge of being discovered, and plenty of reasons why one of them should be called “Ghiorsium.” Although I am eager to tell you about all of this, let me start at the beginning, and tell you about this remarkable man, arguably one of the greatest scientific hunters in history. Afterward, you can tell me whether you think he deserves to be listed with the immortal names of science. And, while we’re at it, maybe you have a name for one of those other new elements that are about to be discovered…

THE MOTIVEAlbert Ghiorso is arguably one of the most significant and interesting scientific

personalities of the 20th Century. His biography simply MUST be written, and in such a way as to reach as wide an audience as possible.



OUTLINE OF THE BOOK (v. 0.4X)[This is highly dynamic, and is being changed as the project progresses.]

FRONT MATTERTITLEFACEPLATETITLEPAGEPUBLISHER INFORMATIONDEDICATIONFRONTISPIECEFOREWORDCONTENTSPREFACEACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PROLOGUE Immortality was, oh, so close…

THE CHALLENGEHow hard was the problem…?

PREPARATION

CREATING THE ENGINEER – 1925-1937RADIO

YouthRadios

RADIOACTIVITYGM counters

CREATING THE SCIENTIST – 1937-1941THE NICHE - THE INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS

SHIP – Separator for Heavy Ion ProductsRecoilTransportVW – Vertical Wheel The 48-channel pulse-height analyzer



BEING INSANELY CLEVER

WAR SCIENCE- 1942-1945Elements 95, 96, 97, 98

THE HYDROGEN BOMB – 1945-1956Elements 99,100

ATOM SMASHING – 1956-1976Elements 101,102,103,104,105, 106

BIG MACHINES – 1976-1981SASSY2 – Small Angle Separator SystemThe OMNITRONThe BEVALAC

COASTING – 1981-2010Electron source

THE REST OF THE STORY

GHIORSO THE SCIENTISTCOLLEAGUES

LBLSeaborgHoffmanEtc.

LBL, HILAC staff, etc.OUTSIDE LABS

DUBNACOMPETITION

LBLSeaborgMcMillanLawrence

JINROganessian, Donets, etc.

GSIArmbruster

INSANELY CLEVERAUDACIOUS SCIENCENON-DISCOVERIES

110118

NEAR-MISSESERRORSNAMING THINGS

Element namesNaming for people (Es)

OmnitronBevalac

RECORD-KEEPINGPUBLICATION RECORD



Number of papers vs yearRelation to Seaborg publications (1950 “activation”)Few sole-author papers

INVENTIONSCommercial?Patents?

AWARDS AND HONORS

GHIORSO THE MANANCESTRY

Ghiorsos from ItalyImmediate familyLife in Alameda

FAMILYWilma, Kristine, BillSiblingsFamily life

FRIENDSNitschke

PERSONALITYPersonal storiesDoodlesCandles

WORK ETHIC AND SOCIAL LIFEDOODLESBIRDING

Photography

GHIORSO FOR JOGGERS AND POETSISSUES

How to understand this man?Lessons to be gleaned

CRITICAL POINTS IN LIFEAG’s own list

FORMAL EDUCATIONRELATION TO SEABORG

Publication recordHOW DID HE DO IT?

Insinuated into it slowlyDual mind

EngineerScientist

WAS HE REALLY INSANELY CLEVER?Or just a hard worker?

LEGACYNuclear chemistry, physics, and medicineExperimental nuclear science

HONORSNobel prizeGhiorsium

PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCEDISCOVERY OF THE ELEMENTS

Atomic number vs sequence of discovery Comparative figures in history

William FairbankCryogenic tools for fundamental physicsMass of the positronGyroscope for Lens-Thirring

Joseph WeberClassical instrumentation + statistics for gravitational waves



Weber pulsesLuis Alvarez

East-West effect in cosmic raysK-captureVery slow neutronsMagnetic moment of the neutronHg lamp and universal length standardTritium decayStability of He-3Microwave early warning systemEagle high-altitude bombing systemAircraft landing systemProton linear acceleratorPyramid chambersK-T boundary and dinosaur extinctionBubble chamber photo system

John WheelerAlbert EinsteinThomas EdisonLeonardo Da VinciLinus Pauling

ElectronegativityHybridization of atomic orbitalsPauling’s RulesSickle cell anemiaPeace PrizeVitamin CSpheron nuclear model

Enrico FermiRobert Oppenheimer

EPILOGUESuperheavies, Ghiorsium, and all that

APPENDICESTRANSURANIC ELEMENTS

Number of atoms at discoveryNumber of atoms ever producedCost per atomCost per gramWhat can you buy?Uses

Am241 – Smoke detectorsBEYOND ALBERT GHIORSO

ArmbrusterDubnaSuperheavies, island of stability

AG BIBLIOGRAPHY

BACK MATTERAFTERWORDNOTESBIBLIOGRAPHYAPPENDIXINDEX



THE GENERAL PLAN

The goalAn accurate and readable account of the scientific work and personality of Albert

Ghiorso as an extraordinarily clever and energetic scientist successfully pursuing the important scientific goal of extending the periodic table of the elements

The general approachAccess almost exclusively primary source materials, especially AG himself, his

family and colleagues, and the records of the Berkeley Lab, capture the fascinating life of AG, and translate it into a full-length book

SummaryAlbert Ghiorso was the co-discoverer of more chemical elements than anyone else in

history (twelve: Americium, Curium, Berkelium, Californium, Einsteinium, Fermium, Mendelevium, Nobelium, Lawrencium, Rutherfordium, Dubnium, and Seaborgium). Ghiorso’s cleverness in producing and identifying new elements is legendary. The origin of this extraordinary scientific accomplishment was the combination of an inspired scientist and a practical engineer. This combination worked its magic for fifty years, changing forever our knowledge of the chemical elements and providing a model and inspiration for a new generation of element hunters.

AgentTBD. A professional agent will be retained for the project. A preliminary selection

has been made: Michael Larsen (Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents, San Francisco, http://www.larsen-pomada.com).

EditorTBD. A professional editor will be recommended by the agent.

PublisherTBD. The book will be sold by the agent to a publisher of record.

FormatHardbound 9-1/2”x6-1/2”. The style and content of the book will reflect the

outrageously clever scientific life of AG.

Number of words, pages90,000 words, ca. 350 pages with ca. 50 illustrations

Date of publication2012


http://www.larsen-pomada.com/


HUMAN RESOURCES[Names in bold have been contacted (10 Feb 2010) and have agreed to contribute. Other names

are pending.]

Albert Ghiorso [AG]Family

William Bent (Son) [BG]Kristine (Daughter) [KG]Family – relatives?

LBL 90th BDay listAlonso JoseAlonso CarolAsaro FrankArchambault LeonArmbruster PeterBarletta WilliamBernas MoniqueBinnall GeneBoyle StanBritt HaroldCerny JoeClark RoderickCochran BobbetteDairiki NedDairiki JanisDuellmann ChristophEskola KariEskola PirkkoFahmie MichaelFolden CodyFowler MalcolmGough RickGould HarveyHarvey BernardHipple RalphHoffmann DarleaneHoward Mike

Htay AllenHulet KenJacobs DiannaJohnson RudinKalnins GeorgeKersting AnnieKoch VolkerKreek StevenLarsh BudLee I-YangLoveland WalterMacchiavelli AugustoMcMahan PeggyMoody KenMoller PeterMyers BillNitsche HeinoOtto RolliePixton KrisPoskanzer ArtRandrup JorgenRasmussen JohnSchmieder BobSeaborg HelenSeaborg DianneSeaborg DavidSessler Andy

Shaughnessy DawnSikkeland TorbjornSikkeland SylviaSilva RobertSilva CrystalStaples JohnStephens Marie-

AgnesStephens FrankStout Loren Sudowe RalfSwiatecki WladekSymons JamesSyversrud DonSyversrud HarveyThomas KimVanecek Cathy

(Sam)Wilhelmy JerryWilk PhilipWong OliviaWu SandraWu JuliaWu MargaretWu James K.Wydler Al

Additional LBL staff (incl. former LBL)Ben FeinbergDick WolgastEd LampoEgon HoyerNorm GlendenningRich SextroBob AveryEd LofgrenMark RegisHermann Grunder

Lou ReginatoPaul BishBill AbrahamMike DuprayLynn YarrisPeggy McMahanChristine DonohueKait DonohueSheila SaxbyRollin Armer

Jack FranckFred GouldingWarren HarndenDoug McDonaldJoe JaklevicWorley LowHelen MichelJohn Stoner (LBL)

Others



Co-discoverersGSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research GmbH (Darmstadt)

Peter ArmbrusterJINR (Dubna)

Yu.Ts.Oganessian E. D. Donets

Other groups of peopleCo-Authors of papers90th BDay listGhiorso names in CaliforniaSeaborg family

David Seaborg op cit and siblingsMcMillan Family

Stephen McMillan, siblingsLBL library/archives

AdditionalAdam Sobiczewski <[email protected]> [note to AG]


mailto:[email protected]

http://159.93.28.88/flnr/people/oganessian.html


DOCUMENT RESOURCES

AG HILAC Bldg. 71/206This is the most valuable archive, which includes the HILAC lab logs. Access was obtained on 2 Feb 2010.

AG personal papersMemoirs (drafts)

AG drafted some material for a projected autobiography. His daughter Kristine has provided that material on CD. RWS has reorganized and revised it, eliminating redundancies.

Family photo albums/scrapbooksAs of 2 Feb 2010 no such albums have been found

CorrespondenceAs of 2 Feb 2010 none has been found

Personal diaries, notes, logsAs of 2 Feb 2010 none has been found

DoodlesMost are at AG’s house. Those displayed have with rather recent dates: 2006-9. The full collection (500+ drawings) is in the house.

Art collectionMostly Mel Brenner. Much of this is at the Lab

AG Journal publicationsAG publications

Phys. Rev. index online. Also provides number of times each paper is cited.A 4-volume bound set of publications of Albert Ghiorso 1943-1973 exists in LBL/71/206.

Citations of AG papers

LBLNewslettersPhoto archives

Began collaboration with Marilee Bailey 2/8/2010. Collection includes 89 digitized photos and about twice as many negatives. Negatives examined

Library catalogBusiness recordsReports (UCRL-XXXXX)

HILAC recordsDrawings in file cabinets in 71/210

88” Cyclotron recordsJoe Cerny reference access

Bevalac records

Personal filesGlenn Seaborg

Easiest source is GTS Journals. One copy (complete?) is in 71/206.Darleane HoffmanEdwin McMillanEmilio SegreMike Nitschke (HILAC)



News mediaChemical Engineering News

Copy is in 4-volume set of AG publications.Physics TodayMagazines

Chemical Engineering NewsNewspapers

Oakland TribuneS.F. Chronicle

Organizations and groupsGhiorsosEX-Ls

The retirement, ex-employee organization of LBL. Berkeley area. RWS became member in Jan. 2010. http://thecenter.berkeley.edu/ex-ls.html http://www.lbl.gov/EX-Ls/

Bancroft LibraryManhattan ProjectJINRGSI


http://www.lbl.gov/EX-Ls/

http://thecenter.berkeley.edu/ex-ls.html


MECHANICSPlan

This document constitutes the PLAN for the project, and as such it will be updated when appropriate.

WebsiteThe author has generated a website (www.schmieder.com/ghiorso) with limited and protected access for providing feedback and communication with persons contributing to the project. This website will be modified after the completion of the book to help promote the book, and to provide an additional resource for public information.

Wikipedia articleAt an appropriate time, presumably early in the project, the Wikipedia article on AG will be updated.

Photographs and documentsHigh-quality scans will be made of photographs and other documents (letters, logbooks, legal documents, etc.). Original photographs and documents will be returned promptly to their owners.

ObjectsDuring the course of this project, it is possible that some objects such as souvenirs, samples, materials, photographs, books, tools, etc. may come to light that should be saved for a possible eventual archive, display, etc. related to AG. Any such objects that are clearly donated will be conserved by the author, for eventual archiving in an appropriate repository.

Visitor at LBLThe author has obtained a visitor pass for LBL. In addition, he has a key for 71/206.

PROCEDURESInterviews

Interviews will be sought with as many persons as can be identified. To the extent possible, these will be digitally recorded and automatically transcribed. The interviews will provide source material for the writing. Written releases will be obtained from all persons who are interviewed, or otherwise contribute proprietary material.

ApprovalsThe author will keep the Ghiorso family (AG, BG, and KG) informed of progress, and solicit input and advice. It is the author’s intention that the Ghiorso family approve of the final book, but ultimately editorial decisions rest with the author, editor, and publisher.

ReviewAs the writing progresses, the author will provide copies of significant drafts to the family (AG, BG, and KG) for comments and suggestions. The author reserves the right to seek outside editorial criticism from any appropriate source, with the proviso that the family has priority, and that the material is not misused, for example, by premature public release.

AccessibilityThe family will have the right to access any and all materials related to the project, and the author will make appropriate and reasonable efforts to accommodate any request. Other persons will not ordinarily be granted access to the materials, as they are considered proprietary to the family, the author, or the individual sources.

Book proposalWhen sufficient material has been obtained to develop a detailed outline of the book and its contents, a Book Proposal will be written for a prospective Literary Agent. It is estimated that this will be done near the end of 2010.


http://www.schmieder.com/ghiorso


STANDARDSPermissions

To the extent physically possible, no material will be used without appropriate permissions. This includes personal permissions from interviewees, re-publication rights from publishers and organizations, written permissions for use of copyrighted material, etc.

AccuracyThe author is committed to maintaining the highest level of accuracy possible. To this end, he will seek editorial corrections from interviewees, carry out exhaustive proof-reading, and offer the finished manuscript to appropriate authorities for final editing and fact-checking.

PersonalThe author will never knowingly include material that would be embarrassing, critical, or otherwise harmful to any living person, or to the memory of persons no longer living or who are beyond contacting for permission. However, certain events in the life of AG are expected to be humorous, and humor is often at the expense of others. It may be impossible to include certain stories or anecdotes that would materially enhance the book without having others as the objects of these stories. In such cases, the author will seek the permission of persons most closely related to the story, the advice of others, including the family, and in the end, exercise his best judgment.

Sources (bibliography)The sources of all material to be used in the book will be scrupulously recorded, to provide for annotation of the text.

CompletenessThe author has set the goal of being complete, that is, of capturing and including as much of the life, work, and personality of AG as possible. As the research phase is completed and writing begins, he will unavoidably be forced to make choices about what to include, dictated by the overall length and desire to keep the story interesting.

SCHEDULEData collection 12 mo (2010)

Jan, 2010 – Assemble list of resources; contact key people for interviewsFeb-Mar, 2010 – Access key local resources (AG, BG, LBL)Apr- June, 2010 – Conduct interviewsJuly- Dec, 2010 – Access secondary resources

Writing 6 mo (2011Q1,2)Jan, 2011 – Complete detailed outlineFeb- June, 2011 – Draft text

Completion 6 mo (2011Q3,4)July, 2011 - Draft of complete bookAug-Sep, 2011 – Author edits of complete bookOct-Nov, 2011 – Formal edit by EditorDec, 2011 – Completion, delivery to agent

PublicationJan-Mar, 2012 – Sale to publisherApr-Sep, 2012 – Publisher prepOct-Dec, 2012 – Publication

FINANCIALPre-publication expenses for the book will include costs for digital recordings, computer supplies, travel and phone, fee for accessioning materials, editorial fees, etc. These expenses will be borne by the author. The author is not seeking support from the family or friends of AG, but it is assumed that any net income from the book will come to the author.



THE BOOK

A conceptual image of the finished book

STYLE OF WRITINGNarrative

The primary goal for this book is that it must be as interesting as the life it describes. AG is one of the most interesting scientific personalities in history, and while we will strive to be as accurate and complete as possible, it will be at least equally important to capture the reader and hold his interest until the end. Thus, we will use a manner of writing, selection of words and phrasing, mechanics of layout, and any other aspect we can in order to make the book as interesting as AG himself.

DialogueThe book will contain a significant amount of dialogue, in order to bring the experiences to life. This will be possible because the author worked in Ghiorso’s lab and was present when some of the dialogue took place. He is familiar with the manner of speech, the personal attitudes, and the level of technical expression used by the participants in the discoveries. Furthermore, the author will be discussing the discoveries with many of the people who helped make them (especially Albert Ghiorso himself), with the partial purpose of recovering and recreating the dialogue that actually took place.

Original graphicsWherever possible and appropriate, the author will include reproductions of the actual logbooks, photographs, drawings, letters, notes, and other graphics to help make the discoveries more accessible and personal. In general, these will be inserted without direct reference, but rather as a working part [cf., Einstein: The Life of a Genius, by Walter Isaacson].



POST-PUBLICATIONDistribution

Since the book will be bought by a publisher, distribution will be at the publisher’s discretion. The agent is responsible for ensuring that the book will be appropriately placed and distributed. The author’s goal is to create a book that is sufficiently interesting to appeal to the mass market, i.e., appear on the shelves of Barnes and Noble, etc. The goal of the project is to create the published and distributed book; the goal of the book is to make Albert Ghiorso a prominent name in the history of science.

PublicityIn addition to production and distribution, the publisher is responsible for publicity. The author will develop a plan for promoting the book, e.g., publicity releases, reviews, magazine excerpts, personal appearances, advertising, private listings, etc.

ArchivesAt the end of the project, the author will have custody of a fairly large collection of material, including author-created source material, copies of documents, objects, etc. The disposition of this collection will depend on its nature. The author feels that it should be placed in a location that could be accessed in the future, e.g., the LBL archives, the Ghiorso family, etc. Some of the material could be organized into a display for an appropriate location.



THE AUTHOR

Robert W. Schmieder

I first met Albert in 1969, when I came to Berkeley as a postdoc. Al generously

allowed me to carry out my research on the south beam line of the HILAC. In the 40+ years since that time, I have maintained a

friendship with Al, and periodically reiterated my desire to capture his life in a

full-length book.

The author received his formal education (all degrees in physics) at Occidental College (B.A, 1963), Caltech (B.S., 1963), and Columbia University (M.A., 1965, PhD, 1968. Advisors: Allen Lurio, Will Happer). He came to LBL as a postdoc for Prof. Richard Marrus, and carried out the first beam-foil spectroscopic studies of 1- and 2-electron heavy ions, work done at the HILAC. Then he obtained a position as a member of the technical staff at Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, where he spent the next 25 years. At Sandia he carried out a program of innovative research on laser spark spectroscopy, combustion physics and chemistry, tritium tracers in hydrocarbons, production of highly stripped heavy ions, plasma physics, collective dynamics, and nanotechnology. He was the first to observe surface damage by high charge state ions, and based on that idea, left Sandia to start a company, NanoLogic. He has formulated the nanologic principle in rigorous mathematics, and applied it to two major areas: chaotic dynamical systems and set theory. Currently he is developing prototype computational circuits based on the principle of nanologic. He has published about 100 technical journal papers and four patents. Outside of physics, he has carried out numerous scientific expeditions to remote oceanic sites, and has authored seven books (including one scientific biography) based on those expeditions. He is honored with four named species of plants and animals, and by an oceanic site.

Books:

Ecology of an Underwater Island (1991)Edward Cordell and the Discovery of Cordell Bank (1992)Rocas Alijos (1993)The Peter I Island Expedition (1994)Messages from the Easter Island Expedition (1995)The Heard Island Expedition (1997)The Expedition to San Felix Island (2002)Insanely Clever: The Biography of Albert Ghiorso (projected 2012)

Honors:

Codium schmiederi (an alga)Erylus schmiederi (a sponge)Megalomphalus schmiederi (a gastropod)Pharia pyramidata schmiederi (a starfish)


http://coa.acnatsci.org/conchnet/bk0697.html


Schmieder Bank (nr. Pt. Sur, Calif., Pacific Ocean)


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