AWARDEE OF TECHNOLOGICAL SCIENCES PRIZE

CHENG KAIJIA

Abstract

Cheng Kaijia, a famous physicist, was born in 1918 in Wujiang, Jiangsu  Province.  He was graduated from physics department of Zejiang University, in 1941. He went to England to study at Edingburgh university in 1946 and obtained his Ph. D degree in 1948, then held the post as fellow for Institute of Royal Chemistry Industry.  He returned to China and worked as a professor in the physics department of Zejiang  University and Nanjing University from 1950 to l960 and did research and tutorial  work on solid state physics. He proposed his double bands theory on superconductivity in collaboration with his teacher, Famous physicist Prof.  M.Born, and developed it in 90's and published his woks “Study on Mechanism of  Superconductivity”.  He wrote the first “Solid State Physics” in China in 1959.  He was  selected as the member of Chinese Academy of Science in 1980.  He won the special  class award, two first , two second and two third class award of national prize of  progress in science and technology, and won the second and fourth class award of  national invention prize.  He is now the adviser of original S&T Committee of  Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.
He had been engaging in the research and test of nuclear weapon theoretically,  technologically and methologically for several decades, and made outstanding  contributions to the development.
In 1960, he was transferred to Ninth Academy of Second Machinery Ministry(now  the China Academy of Engineering Physics) as vice director, took part in the research  on theoretical design of the first atomic bomb, in which he has contributed to solving  one of the critical problems — mechanism of inner explosion of atomic bomb.
Then, he was ordered to establish the Institute at China Nuclear Test Base and to  lead the technology for the test for the first atomic bomb.  He held successively the  vice director, director of the Institute, the director of the test base.  He initiated the  cause of the test of China Nuclear Weapons.  He researched, designed and directed a  few dozens of nuclear weapon tests, including “the Six First”— atomic bomb,  hydrogen bomb, nuclear missile, underground explosion in vertical well and in  horizontal hole, and boosted bombs.  He started research in the fields: systematic  theory of nuclear explosion and diagnosis in the effects of nuclear explosion  independently.  He initiated and fostered the new research program of nuclear  hardening in China: strengthening to resistance to radiation and the directed high  power microwave.