Ted Taylor (physicist)

Ted Taylor
Taylor in 1965
Born
Theodore Brewster Taylor

(1925-07-11)July 11, 1925
Mexico City, Mexico
DiedOctober 28, 2004(2004-10-28) (aged 79)
CitizenshipMexico, United States
Alma materCalifornia Institute of Technology, University of California, Berkeley, and Cornell University
Known forNuclear weapon designs and nuclear disarmament advocacy
AwardsE. O. Lawrence Award (1965)
Scientific career
FieldsTheoretical physics
InstitutionsLos Alamos National Laboratory, General Atomics, Defense Atomic Support Agency

Theodore Brewster "Ted" Taylor (July 11, 1925 – October 28, 2004) was an American theoretical physicist, specifically concerning nuclear energy. His higher education included a PhD from Cornell University in theoretical physics. His most noteworthy contributions to the field of nuclear weaponry were his small bomb developments at the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico.[1] Although not widely known to the general public, Taylor is credited with numerous landmarks in fission nuclear weaponry development, including having designed and developed the smallest, most powerful, and most efficient fission weapons ever tested by the US.[1] Though not considered a brilliant physicist from a calculative viewpoint, his vision and creativity allowed him to thrive in the field.[2] The later part of Taylor's career was focused on nuclear energy instead of weaponry, and included his work on Project Orion, nuclear reactor developments, and anti-nuclear proliferation.[1][2]

  1. ^ a b c McPhee, John (April 1, 2011). The Curve of Binding Energy: A Journey into the Awesome and Alarming World of Theodore B. Taylor. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 8, 113–114. ISBN 9780374708610.
  2. ^ a b Dyson, George (April 16, 2002). Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship. Macmillan. ISBN 9780805059854.