In Search of the Big Bang‘s Energy

Mikhail A. GRACHEV

All the chemical elements have formed as a result of compression of the universe after the Big Bang. Protons and neutrons joined to make up more or less stable combinations. Unstable combinations gave rise to radioactive elements, which by now have decayed or were preserved in minor quantities. Natural radioactive substances release the energy of the Big Bang, much as fire releases energy of fuels — energy of Sun’s light accumulated over the previous geological epochs. Nuclear energy released as a result of radioactive decay is many orders of magnitude higher than the energy released in chemical burning — a fact well-known since the late 19th century — however, its wide practical application was not feasible because the rate of radioactive decay of nuclei is not sensitive to environmental influences like pressure, temperature, or attack by chemical reagents, i.e., it cannot be switched on and off at will. The situation changed dramatically in the late 1930s, when the nuclear reaction of uranium fission was discovered...

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