The Riddle of the Third Idea: How Did the Soviets Build a Thermonuclear Bomb So Suspiciously Fast?Gennady Gorelik
it is equally appropriate to weigh the atomic bombing of Japan against the planned invasion of Japan, known asOperation Downfall. It’s easy to Monday-morning quarterback the decision to drop the bomb, but to fully understand the “why” requires stepping into the shoes of the...
Development of a nuclear bomb, using U-235 as the fuel, proceeded quickly. Because of its importance in the design of a nuclear bomb, let's look at U-235 more closely. U-235 is one of the few materials that can undergo induced fission. That means, instead of waiting more than 700 ...
How is energy from the Sun distributed around Earth? What is a thermonuclear reaction in nuclear physics? What is the difference between nuclear physics and science? How is technetium-99m used in nuclear medicine? Compare radioactive and stable nuclei. ...
it will also make the likelihood of escalation to all-out thermonuclear extermination more imaginable for the first time in decades. There is little question, for instance, that such a stance would encourage other nuclear-armed nations, including Russia, China, India, Israel, Pakistan, and North...
Casing of a U.S. W53 thermonuclear warhead What I've found interesting, as a Bin Laden observer, was his silence about the Arab Spring. Why would he be silent when, since 9/11, Bin Laden has released over 30 videotapes and audiotapes? He has commented on any...
However, with enough energy, this can be overcome, and because nuclei with a smaller atomic number have fewer protons, the Coulomb force is overall weaker and requires less energy to break past. Generating this energy involves creating high temperatures and pressures. Thermonuclear fusion creates a...
Radiocarbon in soils collected over the last several decades often have ∆14C values greater than 0 per mille indicating the presence of “bomb” radio carbon added to the atmosphere by thermonuclear weapons testing since the early 1960s. As soils are open systems, to which C newly fixed from...
This ‘80s teen comedy, set in the ‘60s, is focused on a group of prank-happy car fans. Their leader is Newbomb Turk (Robert Wuhl), who frequently leads the gang into hijinks that lands them in hot water with the local police. With a name like Newbomb, you know hilarity (and tr...
there was "a dearth of people with relevant practical experience in the conduct of thermonuclear wars," practical experience had to take a back seat to theory. In 1968, Kahn described his approach, and its major liability, with a characteristic blend of chutzpah and self-deprecating wit: "We...