Fission bombs, like those used to devastate the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima during World War II, work by splitting the nucleus of an atom. When the neutrons, or neutral particles, of the atom's nucleus split, some hit the nuclei of nearby atoms, splitting them, too. The result is a very explosive chain reaction. The bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki exploded with the yield of 15 kilotons and 20 kilotons of TNT, respectively, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
In contrast, the first test of a therm hydrogen bomb, in the United States in November 1952 yielded an explosion on the order of 10,000 kilotons of TNT. Thermonuclear bombs start with the same fission reaction that powers atomic bombs — but the majority of the uranium or plutonium in atomic bombs actually goes unused. In a thermonuclear bomb, an additional step means that more of the bomb's explosive power becomes available.
First, an igniting explosion compresses a sphere of plutonium-239, the material that will then undergo fission. Inside this pit of plutonium-239 is a chamber of hydrogen gas. The high temperatures and pressures created by the plutonium-239 fission cause the hydrogen atoms to fuse. This fusion process releases neutrons, which feed back into the plutonium-239, splitting more
atoms and boosting the fission chain reaction
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"An atom bomb takes a material called uranium and splits it up. That releases a huge amount of energy, a process that's called fission.
"A hydrogen bomb works along a similar theme but has a secondary element to it --a fusion reaction!
Hydrogen bombs were tested by the UK, Russia and America in the 1960s
"After the fission explosion happens it causes a heating of hydrogen and basically sets off a series of further nuclear reactions."
It's often called a two-stage atomic bomb.
"It's very similar to what goes on in the sun,"
Actually the first test of a thermonuclear hydrogen bomb, in the United States in November 1952 yielded an explosion on the order of 10,000 kilotons of TNT. Thermonuclear bombs start with a fission reaction wch generates enuf enerrgy to trigger the hydroggen fusion reaction.
https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/fission-and-fusion-what-difference
Ten Biggest nuclear explosions:
Doomsday clock moves to within 90 seconds of midnight!
ReplyDeleteAtomic scientists set the "Doomsday Clock" closer to midnight than ever before on Tuesday, saying threats of nuclear war, disease, and climate volatility have been exacerbated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, putting humanity at greater risk of annihilation.
The "Doomsday Clock," created by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to illustrate how close humanity has come to the end of the world, moved its "time" in 2023 to 90 seconds to midnight, 10 seconds closer than it has been for the past three years.
Our species could survive for millions of generations — enough time to end disease, poverty, and injustice; to reach new heights of flourishing. But this vast future is at risk.
ReplyDeleteWith the advent of nuclear weapons, humanity entered a new age, gaining the power to destroy ourselves, without the wisdom to ensure we won’t. Since then, these dangers have only multiplied, from climate change to engineered pandemics and unaligned artificial intelligence.
Listen to Oxford Philosopher Toby Ord discuss The Precipice on the 80,000 Hours Podcast:
https://80k.link/OrdPrecipiceEpisode
How safe are compact nuclear reactors?
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