Canadian Contributions to the Manhattan Project and Early Nuclear Research

TL;DR

This paper details Canada's significant wartime contributions to the Manhattan Project, including establishing research facilities, supply chains, and the involvement of Canadian scientists, laying the foundation for Canada's ongoing nuclear research legacy.

Contribution

It highlights the specific roles and infrastructure Canada developed during WWII that supported the Manhattan Project, a novel focus on national contributions.

Findings

Canada established a key nuclear research lab in Montreal.

Supply chains for uranium oxide, heavy water, and polonium were created.

Canadian scientists actively contributed to the Manhattan Project.

Abstract

During the second world war, Canada made several important contributions to the wartime work of the Manhattan Project. The three main contributions were: establishing a domestic nuclear research laboratory in Montreal to investigate heavy water reactors, creating supply chains to provide uranium oxide, heavy water and polonium to the Manhattan Project, and the direct contributions of several Canadians living the United States. These wartime efforts helped establish a legacy of nuclear research in Canada which has persisted to the present day.