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Exploding wires
For nearly two centuries it has been known that a fine wire will explode when suddenly subjected to a large flow of electrical current. During much of that time the effect has been looked upon as a curious but not very useful phenomenon, and even now there is no general agreement on the exact mechanism involved in such an explosion. Modern technology, however, has found many ways of using exploding wires, and a resurgence of scientific interest has led to three conferences on the subject in recent years. The following brief review of the field includes a report on the latest conference, held in March of this Year.
The Princeton Pennsylvania Accelerator
The Princeton‐Pennsylvania Accelerator, located on the Forrestal Research Campus of Princeton University, was formally dedicated on December 7, 1963. Among those taking part in the ceremony were Glenn T. Seaborg, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Gaylord P. Harnwell, president of the University of Pennsylvania, R. F. Goheen, president of Princeton University, Henry DeWolf Smyth, chairman of Princeton's Research Board and currently US representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Milton G. White, director of the accelerator project and author of the following article.