Szilárdszintézisek

Szilárdszintézisek, also known as Szilard-Mouton synthesis or Szilard's process, refers to a theoretical method proposed by Leo Szilard for the artificial creation of nuclear chain reactions. In the early 1930s, before the discovery of nuclear fission, Szilard pondered the possibility of a nuclear reaction that, once initiated, could sustain itself by releasing further neutrons, which in turn could trigger more reactions. He envisioned a material that, upon absorbing a neutron, would split into two or more lighter nuclei and release additional neutrons. This concept was groundbreaking, as it laid the theoretical foundation for the development of nuclear reactors and nuclear weapons.

Szilard's primary focus was on the idea of a chain reaction. He recognized that if a single neutron could initiate a process that releases more than one neutron, a self-sustaining cascade of nuclear events could occur. He speculated about elements that might exhibit this property, though he did not know of uranium's fission at the time of his initial thoughts. His work on this concept was a significant step in nuclear physics, prompting further investigation into neutron-induced nuclear reactions. The term "szilárdszintézis" is often used in historical contexts to describe this specific theoretical framework for achieving a chain reaction.