Conrad Lee Longmire (August 23, 1921 – March 22, 2010) was an American

theoretical physicist Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experimen ...

who was best known as the discoverer of the mechanism behind high-altitude

electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic fie ...

. In 1961, Longmire was awarded the

Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award The Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award was established in 1959 in honor of a scientist who helped elevate American physics to the status of world leader in the field. E. O. Lawrence was the inventor of the cyclotron, an accelerator of subatomic par ...

"for continued and original theoretical contributions, requiring unusual insight, to the development of nuclear weapons and the progress of plasma physics." In 2004 he was awarded the Los Alamos Medal, the nuclear laboratory's highest award.

Key scientific contributions

Longmire performed several of the key design calculations on the very first thermonuclear weapons produced by the United States. In 1963, he was given the

data for the 1962

Operation Fishbowl Operation Fishbowl was a series of high-altitude nuclear tests in 1962 that were carried out by the United States as a part of the larger ''Operation Dominic'' nuclear test program. Flight-test vehicles were designed and manufactured by Avco ...

high-altitude nuclear tests code-named ''Bluegill Triple Prime'' and ''Kingfish''. The electromagnetic pulse data had puzzled other physicists. Longmire successfully deduced why the electromagnetic pulse was so much stronger than had been erroneously calculated by Nobel-laureate

Hans Bethe Hans Albrecht Bethe (; July 2, 1906 – March 6, 2005) was a German-American theoretical physicist who made major contributions to nuclear physics, astrophysics, quantum electrodynamics, and solid-state physics, and who won the 1967 Nobel Prize ...

, and Longmire was able to derive the calculations that are still used today.Longmire, Conrad L., "Fifty Odd Years of EMP", NBC Report, Fall/Winter, 2004. pp. 47-51. U.S. Army Nuclear and Chemical Agency

/ref>

Early years

Longmire graduated as valedictorian from Sibley High School in 1939 He did his undergraduate study at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, University of Illinois in Urbana, graduating in 1942 with a degree in

engineering physics Engineering physics, or engineering science, refers to the study of the combined disciplines of physics, mathematics, chemistry, biology, and engineering, particularly computer, nuclear, electrical, electronic, aerospace, materials or mechanical en ...

. After spending some time working on

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

at the

MIT Radiation Laboratory The Radiation Laboratory, commonly called the Rad Lab, was a microwave and radar research laboratory located at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was first created in October 1940 and operated until 31 ...

, Longmire attended the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

in New York, where he received his doctorate in theoretical physics in 1948. In 1949 Longmire joined

Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development laboratories of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), located a short distance northwest of Santa Fe, New Mexico, ...

, working in the theoretical division from 1949 to 1969. In his early years at Los Alamos, he took sabbaticals to teach at

and

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, teaching for one year at each institution. In 1970, Longmire co-founded Mission Research Corporation with two other scientists, but continued to be a Lab Associate for Los Alamos National Laboratories.

Death and legacy

Conrad Longmire developed

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone pain, an ...

and died from complications from the disease on March 22, 2010 at the age of 88. He was survived by his wife, Theresa, and by several children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Many of Conrad Longmire's papers on nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) have been declassified, and many of those papers now form the essential basic reading components for scientists and others learning about the phenomenon of high-altitude nuclear EMP, especially as this topic is increasingly discussed in the news media and by government agencies.

References

External links

American Institute of Physics - Oral History Transcript - Dr. Conrad Longmire http://www.aip.org/history/ohilist/25515.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Longmire, Conrad 1921 births 2010 deaths American physicists American nuclear physicists Los Alamos National Laboratory personnel Members of JASON (advisory group) Fellows of the American Physical Society Deaths from multiple myeloma Massachusetts Institute of Technology staff