Chinese nuclear physicist receives nation's top science award

BEIJING, Jan. 9 -- Chinese nuclear physicist Yu Min who was behind the country's first successful hydrogen bomb test won China's top science and technology accolade on Friday.

Chinese President Xi Jinping presented the award to Yu, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, at an annual ceremony held to honor the most distinguished scientists and research achievements.

Yu, born in north China's Tianjin in 1926, was behind China's first successful hydrogen bomb test in the Cold War era. He was part of the miniaturization of nuclear weapons, technological breakthroughs in the neutron bomb, and filled a national void in the theory of atomic nucleus.

Yu's life converged with the bomb on January 12, 1961 when the late Qian Sanqing, the "Father of China's Atomic Bomb", assigning him to researching hydrogen bomb theories.

"I accepted without hesitation," Yu recalled. The young scientist who was then pursuing theoretical studies on the nucleus shifted focus and embarked on a clandestine career lasting 28 years. It was not until 1988 when the mission was fully declassified that Yu's wife found out what her husband had really been up to.

In 1965, Yu led a squad of scientists. Cai Zhaohui, a squad member, said during the "battle", lasting over 100 days, Yu was buried in stacks of computer paper tape as he led the team over technological hurdles to develop the hydrogen bomb. At that time, there was only one computer that operated 10,000 calculations per second in China.

"Yu led us as we mapped out the entire physical design of the bomb, through theories to materials and prototypes," Cai said. "Without a nuclear deterrent, there could be no true independence for China."

Yu declined the title of "Father of Hydrogen Bomb", insisting that systematic work required equal perspiration from all participants.

Following their successes with the hydrogen bomb, Yu and his team worked on the miniaturization of nuclear weapons and on the neutron bomb.

Yu was acclaimed as having filled a void in China's nuclear theories for his structure model of atomic nucleus.

Looking back, Yu said, "No one's name is indelible in history, but it is quite comforting to know that one has contributed to the motherland's prosperity."