Although Oppenheimer had been at the Cavendish Laboratory for a year, Rutherford still had a deep prejudice against him.
No way, Professor Bridgeman of Harvard University had already stated in his recommendation letter that although Oppenheimer had a smart brain, he was not good at doing experiments.
Moreover, after this man was rejected by Rutherford, he got in touch with Old Thomson through looking for connections. His teacher also acted as a lobbyist in front of him several times in an attempt to get Oppenheimer to enter the Cavendish Laboratory. .
Although I really hate the human-relationship society in Britain, I have to give the teacher face.
Rutherford was very reluctant to accept Kapitsa, so he made an excuse to think about it again, trying to use the word "procrastination" to resolve the battle - just like he wanted to postpone the funding for Chen Muwu's particle accelerator until next year.
Unexpectedly, Old Thomson accidentally found his good student Chen Muwu again. At that time, Chen Muwu had just met the Duke of York, who was also from Trinity College of Cambridge University, because of his excellent swimming results at the Paris Olympics. , earning a large sum of money for the laboratory, which resulted in Rutherford having to sell him Chen Muwu a favor.
What he thought at first was that this American seemed to be very unreliable. He should be the type who was impatient and annoying. He probably wouldn't be able to stay under Chen Muwu for a few months.
It just so happens that I can take this opportunity to let Chen Muwu, a good student, realize that being a teacher is not that easy. It is much harder than making a few successful experiments.
Unexpectedly, more than a year had passed since Oppenheimer entered the laboratory, and Chen Muwu came to ask for a new graduate student.
Rutherford speculated that he might have called Oppenheimer from Cambridge University to London to do low-temperature physics experiments, which finally exposed the American.
Chen Muwu has successfully discovered heavy hydrogen, but Oppenheimer, who has been by his side to assist, cannot reproduce the experimental process alone.
The heavy hydrogen that Aston brought back from David Faraday's laboratory was prepared by Chadwick and Kapitsa after a short training.
Although it took longer than I guessed, it was still better. It was better to come late than never.
By kicking out Oppenheimer, the black sheep, Chen Muwu's efficiency in the Cavendish Laboratory is expected to improve a lot, and he may be able to produce more and better results.
After hearing what Rutherford said and looking at the "I told him he was unreliable" expression written on the teacher's face, Chen Muwu didn't know how to respond.
When he first agreed to Old Thomson's request, he was indeed very nervous, thinking that Oppenheimer was a thorn in his side, and he was also ruthless and dared to poison Blackett.
Not long after Oppenheimer entered the Cavendish Laboratory, Chen Muwu had a conversation with him. He wanted to remove him from Cambridge University and recommend him to the University of Berlin or the University of Göttingen in Germany. , throw this hot potato from Pindao's hand to fellow Taoist.
But Oppenheimer seemed to have identified him and said he would not go to Germany. Even Einstein was not attracted to him.
Chen Muwu thought that what he got was a time bomb that would explode at some point, so he was always cautious when getting along with him at first, for fear that he would also receive a poisonous apple.
But subsequent developments completely broke Chen Muwu's stereotype.
Although Oppenheimer was a man who had poor hands-on ability and was unable to conduct experiments, he was sincere to himself.
Just like Xiao Yueyue, "handsome, salesy, strange, and bad" allocate the word "loyalty".
This metaphor seems inappropriate. Oppenheimer's level in physics is still much higher than Xiao Yueyue's cross talk.
And not only in terms of physics, having an assistant like Oppenheimer by his side also made Chen Muwu very comfortable.
After all, he is the person who can lead the development of atomic bombs in the future. Although he has not grown into a complete body due to age and is still somewhat lacking in ability, he is enough to help Chen Muwu and run the logistics.
The key is that he worked hard without any complaints. He went to the Netherlands when he was asked to go to the Netherlands and bought insulating ribbons when asked to buy them, without any complaints.
America has apples, China has pineapples...
Ah, no, Rutherford has Chadwick, and Chen Muwu has Oppenheimer.
Even if the teacher now proposes that the two of them change assistants and send the chief housekeeper to help Chen Muwu, he may not be willing to do so.
"Teacher, you have completely misunderstood Robert. He is a very good person.
“It’s just that maybe because of his young age, he showed some arrogance of young people.
"I'm asking you for Cockcroft just because this new project really doesn't have enough manpower. After all, I only did experiments and research in the laboratory before, but this time I have to build a big one."
"Okay, I promise you that."
Rutherford was a little doubtful whether Oppenheimer had some leverage against Chen Muwu. Otherwise, why would he say such good things for the Americans?
But having said that, Chen Muwu still has no intention of kicking Oppenheimer out, so let him go.
Didn’t the copy of "The Spirit of the Chinese" by Dr. Gu that he gave himself before also say that the Chinese are a nation that knows how to tolerate?
"Moreover, I really hope to see your results. This particle accelerator is very important to me, to the Cavendish Laboratory, and even to the entire physics community. Chen, you must not disappoint my expectations." "
"Teacher, I will work hard and strive to live up to your trust - and I want to ask, when will the first one thousand pounds of funds be allocated?"
"In just these few days, I will ask James to contact you and send Mr. Cockcroft to your team!"
Chen Muwu once again brought up the issue of money, which finally killed Rutherford's interest, leaving him with no idea of continuing the conversation with his student today.
"Okay, thank you teacher!"
Seeing that his goal was finally achieved, Chen Muwu resigned and left the director's office.
…
A few days later, Chadwick brought a check for one thousand pounds, and together with Cockcroft, whom Chen Muwu named, he knocked on the door of the room belonging to Chen Muwu in the Cavendish Laboratory.
Cockcroft was very excited when he learned that he had been named by Chen Muwu to be a graduate student.
Although he was five years older than Chen Muwu, he didn't feel ashamed or embarrassed at all.
After all, Chen Muwu is the youngest Nobel Prize winner, the smartest and most likely to produce results in the laboratory.
Although he didn't know why he chose him, Cockcroft knew that as long as he could hold Dr. Chen's thigh tightly, it would only be a matter of time before he left his name in the history of physics.
However, after Chadwick left, another person appeared in Chen Muwu's laboratory, which left Cockcroft in a dilemma and at a loss.
Who else could this person be besides Kapitsa?
A few days later, he came here again and once again challenged his good friend Dr. Chen.
Kapitsa felt that Chen Muwu had discovered a new magnetic effect in superconductors earlier than he did, and it can be said that "geniuses have the same vision."
But this time, he snatched away the assistant who had just been assigned to him. Isn't it a naked act of poaching?
His arrival made Cockcroft very embarrassed. Whether it was the owner or the guest, he could not afford to offend either person in the room.
Cockcroft didn't know if he should say nothing, or should he choose to side with the new teacher Chen Muwu to show his loyalty?
Fortunately, Chen Muwu resolved the smell of gunpowder that had not spread in the laboratory in time.
"Peter, I don't want your student in vain. I'll trade with you. That's alright, right?"
"Shi Ruwei, an old acquaintance of yours. He has been following you in magnetism research. He went to the David Faraday Laboratory with me some time ago and is already familiar with the operating procedures of that kind of refrigeration machine.
"Don't you happen to also plan to engage in low-temperature physics research? After all, the Mond Laboratory is a laboratory specializing in low-temperature physics. If you are familiar with it in advance, you will be more competitive when you run for director.
"Shi is a very good helper. I hope you can accept him."
Although he declined the position of director of Mond's Laboratory, he could not live without his own people in the laboratory he had earned for Old Prague.
Moreover, since Shi Ruwei was the professional counterpart of Kapitsa, it was better to let him follow Kapitsa than to keep him under his control. Maybe he could also break into a wider world.
Cockcroft is a newcomer Chadwick assigned to him recently, while Shi Ruwei started studying and working with him a long time ago.
For Kapitsa, the latter's learning ability and practical skills have long been recognized, and he is a very good student and assistant.
Coming in anger and leaving happily, Kapitsa felt that he had gained an advantage.
He even believed that Chen Muwu's exchange of Shi Ruwei for Cockcroft was a kind of compensation for himself.
"Mr. Cockcroft, welcome to our group. I heard that you just got married not long ago, so I wish you a happy wedding!"
After Kapitsa left, Chen Muwu held a simple welcome ceremony for the newcomer in the laboratory.
Oppenheimer listened calmly to the side as the teacher addressed the newcomer. Just now, a white man other than himself was added to Chen Muwu's team, which suddenly made him feel a crisis. feel.
Oppenheimer secretly breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that Chen Muwu still used the traditional method of "last name + Mr." of Cambridge University.
Except for Kapitsa, Brackett and Dirac, Chen Muwu's good friends, in the Cavendish Laboratory, only he, Oppenheimer, would be called by Chen Muwu's name, Robert.
This implicitly shows the closeness of a relationship. The new British guy should not pose any threat to him.
"Thank you, thank you Dr. Chen. I wonder what kind of research you want to do by asking me to join this group?"
Cockcroft spoke of Dr. Chen, making Chen Muwu realize that because he had been thinking about the particle accelerator, he seemed to have once again forgotten to ask Rutherford about the professorship.
However, seeing that the teacher happily provided the funds this time, Chen Muwu felt that it would not be too late to have a heart-to-heart talk with Rutherford after the particle accelerator was completed.
Chen Muwu once again took out the generator model he had made before. Although it had been demonstrated in front of the teacher, the members of the temporary group he formed were all like Cockcroft, not knowing what they were about to do. Something.
Seeing that the machine had been assembled by Chen Muwu, Oppenheimer realized that the unrelated things that the teacher asked him to buy were not for entertainment, but were actually useful.
As the charge on the tin can continued to increase, the note attached to it gradually floated up.
The door of the laboratory was opened just at this time, and Oppenheimer paid no attention to this phenomenon, thinking that the note floating was due to the convection effect caused by the air circulation after opening the door.
Old Thomson, the dean of Trinity College who returned from vacation, had a whim today and planned to visit the Cavendish Laboratory.
Although he had resigned as director of the Cavendish Laboratory a few years ago, to show respect for him, several rooms were still designated for Old Thomson in the laboratory for him to use when conducting experiments. of.
In the first few years after leaving office, Old Thomson would often come to the laboratory to do experiments, and together with Aston, he used a mass spectrometer to study atoms and isotopes.
But as he got older, Thomson Sr. became increasingly unable to do his academic research.
Coupled with the fact that "people change", the last few batches of old students he knew have graduated one after another, and the new people recruited have followed Rutherford's lead, and the old Thomson will not be able to do anything in the Cavendish Laboratory. There are only a few acquaintances left.
In addition to the student Rutherford, and the two old assistants Wilson and Aston, among the new generation of students, only those who were recommended by Eddington and Rutherford were specifically recruited by him to join Cavan. Chen Muwu from Dish Laboratory and Trinity College was most familiar with the old Thomson.
There was also the American guy who found me through several connections and wanted to enter the Cavendish Laboratory at all costs. He was a half-acquaintance.
He was entrusted to Chen Muwu by himself. More than a year has passed. How are they getting along?
When Old Thomson entered the room, Chen Muwu happened to be telling several students about the source of his inspiration for the generator: "This method of using a medium to transport charges and slowly accumulate potential was not something I came up with myself. Instead, it refers to a drip generator invented by Lord Kelvin sixty years ago.
"Newspapers always say that I am a genius and that I can always come up with all kinds of novel ideas. But these are all rumors. The truth is just like Sir Newton said, I am just standing on the shoulders of giants.
"I hope that you should also look through the things left by our predecessors from time to time. If Professor Maxwell, the first director of this laboratory, had not looked through the manuscripts left by our predecessors, he would never have discovered, Mr. Henry Cavendish, who gave our laboratory its name, was such a great physicist!"
(End of chapter)
