Uncovering the Mystery of the 1991 Atomic Bomb Ignition Papers

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the 1991 interview of physicist Hans Bethe, where he referenced papers by Emil Konopinski and others regarding the impossibility of igniting the atmosphere with an atomic bomb. Bethe indicated that these papers effectively settled the debate on the topic. The specific paper mentioned is "Ignition of the Atmosphere with Nuclear Bombs" by Konopinski, Marvin, and Teller from 1946. The original poster seeks assistance in locating these papers and verifying their public availability.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of atomic physics and nuclear reactions
  • Familiarity with historical context of nuclear weapon development
  • Knowledge of academic publication search techniques
  • Basic grasp of scientific paper citation formats
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the publication history of "Ignition of the Atmosphere with Nuclear Bombs" by Konopinski, Marvin, and Teller
  • Explore academic databases for access to historical nuclear physics papers
  • Investigate the contributions of Hans Bethe and Emil Konopinski to nuclear physics
  • Learn about the implications of nuclear ignition theories in modern physics
USEFUL FOR

Students of physics, historians of science, and researchers interested in nuclear weaponry and its theoretical implications will benefit from this discussion.

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TL;DR
Hans Bethe mentioned that Konopinski showed that it was impossible to set hydrogen and to set the atmosphere on fire with an atomic bomb and wrote one or two "very good" papers on it that put the question to rest. I'm looking for these papers.
I recently looked at a transcript of a 1991 interview of Hans Bethe, where he recalled the suggestion that an atomic bomb could ignite the air.

"Teller at Los Alamos put a very good calculator on this problem, [Emil] Konopinski, who was an expert on weak interactors, and Konopinski together with [inaudible] showed that it was incredibly impossible to set the hydrogen, to set the atmosphere on fire. They wrote one or two very good papers on it, and that put the question really at rest."

I'm having a hard time finding any record of these papers, so I'm curious if these papers exist and if they were ever released to the public, or if Hans Bethe may have mistakenly identified Konopinski as an author.

Thanks for any guidance, or suggestions for related academic publications.

As far as attempting to rederive their results myself goes, I would like to mention that I am an undergraduate, and this problem seems nontrivial, especially for someone with little experience in the subfield.
 
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