Swedish man caught trying to split atoms at home

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | August 3, 2011 | AP

[KingofZion]

A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen said Wednesday he was only doing it as a hobby.

Richard Handl told The Associated Press that he had the radioactive elements radium, americium and uranium in his apartment in southern Sweden when police showed up and arrested him on charges of unauthorized possession of nuclear material.

The 31-year-old Handl said he had tried for months to set up a nuclear reactor at home and kept a blog about his experiments, describing how he created a small meltdown on his stove.

Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden's Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.

"I have always been interested in physics and chemistry," Handl said, adding he just wanted to "see if it's possible to split atoms at home."

The police raid took place in late July, but police have refused to comment. If convicted, Handl could face fines or up to two years in prison.

Although he says police didn't detect dangerous levels of radiation in his apartment, he now acknowledges the project wasn't such a good idea.

"From now on, I will stick to the theory," he said.

[Lazlo in PA]

I guess his cleaver wasn't sharp enough to split them properly.

[Lazamataz]

Hold muh quantum cat and watch this.

[Hacklehead]

I suggest he try fusion instead of fission.

[End Times Sentinel]

Only later did he realize it might not be legal and sent a question to Sweden's Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police.

A couple of basic rules violated here:

Never ask a question if you might not want to hear the answer.
It's easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

[JoeProBono]

[muawiyah]

Things he forgot: http://behrns.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/ikea-tool.jpg?w=420

[Paladin2]

"....sent a question to Sweden's Radiation Authority, which answered by sending the police. "

Another example of how the gov't is not there to help you.

[dfwgator]

Split Peas, Not Atoms!

[bigbob]

well at least it kept him out of the tavern...

[Slump Tester]

Was that WRONG?

Should he have not tried to split atoms in his kitchen?

[Wintson Wolfe]

Good luck coming up with the pressure for that.

[TheOldLady]

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[Thud]

He should have read about the “radioactive boy scout”, who built a thorium breeder reactor in an Michigan back yard shed while trying to earn a boy scout badge in nuclear energy. Neighbors didn’t realize what was happening until NEST teams in moon suits started walking through their back yards waving radiation detectors. The AEC dug up most of the back yard of the kid’s parents and shipped it to a nuclear waste disposal site in Utah.

Here are links to the magazine article:

http://harpers.org/archive/1998/11/0059750

and the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Radioactive-Boy-Scout-Backyard-Nuclear/dp/037550351X

[Tallguy]

The question now is “can he do fission in his prison cell?”

[Ellendra]

Swedish man caught trying to split atoms at home

How sharp are your steak knives?

[Moltke]

A Swedish man who was arrested after trying to split atoms in his kitchen

Just WTH is that supposed to mean? The elements listed split (i.e. decay) all by themselves just fine. There is nothing you can do to prevent that from happening. To wit, an exercise in futility. (Of course this presumes that there is no way this guy had enough material to start a critical-mass chain reaction. A safe bet, I'd say.)

[RickB444]

His cell mate will bend him over and split his atom for him. I bet that makes him go off like an atomic bomb.

[mad_as_he$$]

There is americium in virtually every home in the US. In many parts of the country there is even some uranium. Radium on the other hand can be found in old “glow in the dark” watches and other things from the 50’s and 60’s. I remember a story a while back where some guy had gathered several thousand smoke detectors and was trying to make a bomb.

[doberville]

Bah. You can't fool me.

Monty Python wrote this.

[Renderofveils]

Hold muh quantum cat and watch this.

Is its name Schrödinger?