V L Ginzburg and the Atomic Project

This paper is an expanded version of the author's talk presented at a session of the Physical Sciences Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences celebrating the 100th anniversary of V L Ginzburg's birth. Tamm's Special group was organized in June 1948 with the task to clarify the feasibility of constructing a hydrogen bomb. Having verified and confirmed the calculated results by Ya B Zel'dovich's group, the Tamm group proposed an original hydrogen bomb design, which, following A D Sakharov's idea, consisted of an atomic bomb surrounded spherically by nested uranium and heavy water layers: the heavy water, on V L Ginzburg's suggestion, was replaced by higher-calorie solid lithium-6 deuteride. The ionization implosion of deuterium by uranium, both heated by the atomic bomb's explosion, greatly accelerates nuclear reactions in deuterium and uranium and increases the total energy release. Upon their approval by the KB-11 top researchers, the Atomic project leadership, and the government, the proposals were implemented in the RDS-6s bomb, which was successfully tested on 12 August 1953. Lithium-6 deuteride turned out to be a convenient multipurpose nuclear fuel. The paper highlights the recognition by the leaders of the country and of the Atomic project that fundamental science plays a crucial role in promoting scientists' ideas and proposals.