This 1993 volume studies the technical research that led to the first atomic bombs. The authors explore how the 'critical assembly' of scientists, engineers, and military personnel at Los Alamos, collaborated during World War II to create a new approach to research. Readers will find this book a crucial resource for understanding the underpinnings of contemporary science and technology.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [418]-492) and indexes.

1. Introduction -- 2. Early Research on Fission: 1933-1943 -- 3. The Early Materials Program: 1933-1943 -- 4. Setting Up Project Y: June 1942 to March 1943 -- 5. Research in the First Months of Project Y: April to September 1943 -- 6. Creating a Wartime Community: September 1943 to August 1944 -- 7. The Gun Weapon: September 1943 to August 1944 -- 8. The Implosion Program Accelerates: September 1943 to July 1944 -- 9. New Hopes for the Implosion Weapon: September 1943 to July 1944 -- 10. The Nuclear Properties of a Fission Weapon: September 1943 to July 1944 -- 11. Uranium and Plutonium: Early 1943 to August 1944 -- 12. The Discovery of Spontaneous Fission in Plutonium and the Reorganization of Los Alamos -- 13. Building the Uranium Bomb: August 1944 to July 1945 -- 14. Exploring the Plutonium Implosion Weapon: August 1944 to February 1945 -- 15. Finding the Implosion Design: August 1944 to February 1945 -- 16. Building the Implosion Gadget: March 1945 to July 1945 -- 17. Critical Assemblies and Nuclear Physics: August 1944 to July 1945 -- 18. The Test at Trinity: January 1944 to July 1945 -- 19. Delivery: June 1943 to August 1945 -- 20. The Legacy of Los Alamos.