A burst of hard radiation on 21 May 1946 transformed the professional trajectory of physicist Louis Slotin. Working at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, he triggered a supercritical nuclear chain reaction while conducting experiments on a plutonium core. This event resulted in his death nine days later, marking the second fatal criticality accident in the history of the Manhattan Project.
Academic Foundation and Early Research
Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1910, Slotin attended St. John’s High School before enrolling at the University of Manitoba at sixteen. He secured a Bachelor of Science in geology and a Master of Science, earning a University Gold Medal in physics and chemistry. In 1936, he completed a doctorate in physical chemistry at King's College London, where he won an award for his thesis on the formation of unstable molecules during chemical reactions.
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Slotin joined the University of Chicago as a research associate in 1937, where he assisted in the development of the first cyclotron in the midwestern United States. Between 1939 and 1940, he worked with Earl Evans to synthesize radiocarbon using the cyclotron. His research documented the ability of plant cells to utilize carbon dioxide for carbohydrate synthesis. By 1942, he began working under Eugene Wigner on plutonium production, eventually transferring to Los Alamos in 1944 to join Robert Bacher’s bomb physics group.
Criticality Experiments and Fatal Accident
At Los Alamos, Slotin performed criticality testing to determine the critical mass values of fissile materials. This procedure, colloquially known as tickling the dragon's tail, involved bringing materials to near-critical states. On 16 July 1945, he assembled the core for the Trinity nuclear test. The following year, while performing a manual experiment on a plutonium core, he accidentally initiated a chain reaction. He died at Los Alamos on 30 May 1946 and was interred at Shaarey Zedek Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1910, Winnipeg, Canada
- Died: 30 May 1946, Los Alamos
- Education: University of Manitoba; King's College London
- Occupation: Physicist, Chemist, Nuclear Physicist
- Manhattan Project role: Criticality experimenter
- Burial site: Shaarey Zedek Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What caused the fatal accident involving Louis Slotin?
The accident occurred when Slotin accidentally triggered a supercritical nuclear chain reaction during a criticality experiment with a plutonium core, releasing a burst of hard radiation.
Was Slotin the first person to die from a criticality accident?
No, he was the second. Harry Daghlian died the previous year after a related accident involving the same plutonium core.
Achievements
- Educated at King's College London, St. John's High School and University of Manitoba
