Argonne National Laboratory as an interface between physics and industry

Application of physics to industry requires the involvement of many other disciplines, including chemistry, material sciences, and many other fields of engineering; and the national laboratories in the United States have a mix of such disciplines particularly conducive to such transfer. They have participated in one of the most striking transfers of physics to industry in history, namely, the development of the nuclear power industry. Scientific feasibility of nuclear power was established when the first chain reaction was demonstrated at the Metallurgical Laboratory. Argonne National Laboratory as the successor to the Metallurgical Laboratory has played a major role in transferring the results of this physics experiment to industry, especially in demonstrating engineering feasibility of nuclear power. Major developments in industrial instrumentation have taken place in parallel with the development of nuclear energy, and many of these developments are applicable to other industrial systems as well. The responsibilities of the national laboratories have recently been extended into many energy technologies other than nuclear, offering them the opportunity to serve as an interface for transfer of physics into many new industries. A number of examples are cited. (author)