Rubby Sherr

Rubby Sherr
Born	September 14, 1913 Long Branch, New Jersey
Died	July 8, 2013 (aged 99) Haverford, Pennsylvania
Nationality	American
Fields	Nuclear physics
Alma mater	New York University Princeton University
Doctoral advisor	Henry DeWolf Smyth
Doctoral students	Charles Glashausser
Known for	Contribution to the Manhattan Project, experimental proof of Fermi's interaction

Rubby Sherr (September 14, 1913 – July 8, 2013) was an American nuclear physicist who co-invented a key component of the first nuclear weapon while participating in the Manhattan Project during the Second World War. His academic career spanned nearly eight decades, including almost 40 years working at Princeton University.

Sherr was born to Lithuanian immigrants in Long Branch, New Jersey, in 1913. After graduating from Lakewood High School, he attended New York University at his mother's behest, gaining a bachelor's degree in physics in 1934. He then went to study at Princeton University, where he obtained a doctorate in physics in 1938.

In 1942, Sherr joined the MIT Radiation Laboratory, where he worked to develop new airborne radar systems. In 1944, he became involved with the Manhattan Project, which was tasked with creating the first nuclear weapon. Together with Klaus Fuchs, Sherr developed a key component of the bomb's triggering mechanism, the Fuchs-Sherr polonium-beryllium modulated neutron initiator. On July 16, 1945, Sherr was present at the Trinity nuclear test in New Mexico. He later recalled thinking during the test, "'This is the greatest scientific experiment of all time' – it was certainly the biggest. Then the horror sank in that the thing had actually worked, followed by relief that the atmosphere hadn't ignited, as some had feared it would."

...
Wikipedia