Examines the life and legacy of Sidney D. Drell, award-winning nuclear physicist, national security expert, behind-the-scenes diplomat, and champion for peace, disarmament, and human rights

Sidney Drell (1926–2016) left a legacy worthy of many lifetimes. Physicist, professor, national security expert, amateur musician, behind-the-scenes diplomat, and champion for peace and human rights, he was also friend and mentor. Dozens of interviews with those whose lives he touched reveal Drell as a man of brilliance, curiosity, and passions, whose devotion to the arts, family, and community equaled his love for physics. Teaching at Stanford University and working at its linear particle accelerator, Drell made significant scientific contributions. Not content to leave science in the lab or classroom, Drell brought his intellectual heft to public service, advising the US government on issues relating to science, advocating for Russian dissident Andrei Sakharov, and urging nuclear disarmament. Scaling the heights of achievement with a down-to-earth sensibility, Drell met his destiny empowered and validated by a prodigious mind, generous spirit, and tact in fostering goodwill for the benefit of all.

In this text the authors develop a propagator theory of Dirac particles, photons, and Klein-Gordon mesons and per- form a series of calculations designed to illustrate various useful techniques and concepts in electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions. these include defining and implementing the renormalization program and evaluating effects of radia- tive corrections, such as the Lamb shift, in low-order calculations. The necessary background for the book is pro- vided by a course in nonrelativistic quantum mechanics at the general level of Schiff's text, QUANTUM MECHANICS.

The mortal danger of nuclear weapons is unique in its terrifying potential for devastation on an unprecedented and unimaginable scale. In this book, Sidney D. Drell and James E. Goodby—each with more than twenty years' experience in national security issues both in public and private capacities—review the main policy issues surrounding nonproliferation of nuclear weapons. They address the specific actions that the community of nations—with American leadership—should take to confront and turn back the nuclear danger that imperils humanity. The nuclear genie, say the authors, cannot be put back in the bottle. Our most urgent task as a nation today is to successfully manage, contain, and reduce the grave danger of nuclear weapons—whether in the hands of adversaries or friendly states. This book hopes to stimulate active public dialogue on this important subject.

A panel of expert contributors offers its views on the risks and rewards of the nuclear enterprise, focusing on issues of safety, regulation, and public perception. Contributors discuss specific experience and issues regarding the technical safety of weapons and power plants, management operations, regulatory measures, and the importance of accurate communication by the media.

Andrei Sakharov holds an honored place in the pantheon of the world's greatest scientists, reformers, and champions of human rights. But his embrace of human rights did not come through a sudden conversion; he came to it in stages. Drawing from a 2014 Hoover Institution conference focused on Sakharov's life and principles, this book tells the compelling story of his metamorphosis from a distinguished physical scientist into a courageous, outspoken dissident humanitarian voice.His extraordinary life saw him go from playing the leading role in designing and building the most powerful thermonuclear weapon (the so-called hydrogen bomb) ever exploded to demanding an end to the testing of such weapons and their eventual elimination. The essays detail his transformation, as he appealed first to his scientific colleagues abroad and then to mankind at large, for solidarity in resolving the growing threats to human survival—many of which stemmed from science and technology. Ultimately, the distinguished contributors show how the work and thinking of this eminent Russian nuclear physicist and courageous human rights campaigner can help find solutions to the nuclear threats of today.