Thermonuclear charge. H-bomb. Explosion of the Tsar Bomba

The destructive power of which, when exploded, cannot be stopped by anyone. What is the most powerful bomb in the world? To answer this question, you need to understand the features of certain bombs.

What is a bomb?

Nuclear power plants operate on the principle of releasing and trapping nuclear energy. This process must be controlled. The released energy turns into electricity. An atomic bomb causes a chain reaction that is completely uncontrollable, and the huge amount of released energy causes terrible destruction. Uranium and plutonium are not so harmless elements of the periodic table; they lead to global catastrophes.

Atomic bomb

To understand what the most powerful atomic bomb on the planet is, we’ll learn more about everything. Hydrogen and atomic bombs belong to nuclear energy. If you combine two pieces of uranium, but each has a mass below the critical mass, then this “union” will far exceed the critical mass. Each neutron participates in a chain reaction because it splits the nucleus and releases another 2-3 neutrons, which cause new decay reactions.

Neutron force is completely beyond human control. In less than a second, hundreds of billions of newly formed decays not only release enormous amounts of energy, but also become sources of intense radiation. This radioactive rain covers the earth, fields, plants and all living things in a thick layer. If we talk about the disasters in Hiroshima, we can see that 1 gram caused the death of 200 thousand people.

Working principle and advantages of a vacuum bomb

It is believed that a vacuum bomb, created using the latest technologies, can compete with a nuclear one. The fact is that instead of TNT, a gas substance is used here, which is several tens of times more powerful. The high-power aircraft bomb is the most powerful vacuum bomb in the world, which is not a nuclear weapon. It can destroy the enemy, but houses and equipment will not be damaged, and there will be no decay products.

What is the principle of its operation? Immediately after being dropped from the bomber, a detonator is activated at some distance from the ground. The body is destroyed and a huge cloud is sprayed. When mixed with oxygen, it begins to penetrate anywhere - into houses, bunkers, shelters. The burning out of oxygen creates a vacuum everywhere. When this bomb is dropped, a supersonic wave is produced and a very high temperature is generated.

The difference between an American vacuum bomb and a Russian one

The differences are that the latter can destroy an enemy even in a bunker using the appropriate warhead. During an explosion in the air, the warhead falls and hits the ground hard, burrowing to a depth of 30 meters. After the explosion, a cloud is formed, which, increasing in size, can penetrate into shelters and explode there. American warheads are filled with ordinary TNT, so they destroy buildings. A vacuum bomb destroys a specific object because it has a smaller radius. It doesn’t matter which bomb is the most powerful - any of them delivers an incomparable destructive blow that affects all living things.

H-bomb

H-bomb- another terrible nuclear weapon. The combination of uranium and plutonium generates not only energy, but also temperature, which rises to a million degrees. Hydrogen isotopes combine to form helium nuclei, which creates a source of colossal energy. The hydrogen bomb is the most powerful - fact. It is enough just to imagine that its explosion is equal to the explosions of 3,000 atomic bombs in Hiroshima. Both in the USA and in former USSR you can count 40 thousand bombs of varying power - nuclear and hydrogen.

The explosion of such ammunition is comparable to the processes observed inside the Sun and stars. Fast neutrons split the uranium shells of the bomb itself at enormous speed. Not only heat is released, but also radioactive fallout. There are up to 200 isotopes. The production of such nuclear weapons is cheaper than atomic ones, and their effect can be enhanced as many times as desired. This is the most powerful bomb detonated in the Soviet Union on August 12, 1953.

Consequences of the explosion

The result of a hydrogen bomb explosion is threefold. The very first thing that happens is a powerful blast wave is observed. Its power depends on the height of the explosion and the type of terrain, as well as the degree of air transparency. Large firestorms can form that do not subside for several hours. And yet, the secondary and most dangerous consequence that the most powerful thermonuclear bomb can cause is radioactive radiation and contamination of the surrounding area for a long time.

Radioactive remains from a hydrogen bomb explosion

When an explosion occurs, the fireball contains many very small radioactive particles that are retained in the atmospheric layer of the earth and remain there for a long time. Upon contact with the ground, this fireball creates incandescent dust consisting of decay particles. First, the larger one settles, and then the lighter one, which is carried hundreds of kilometers with the help of the wind. These particles can be seen with the naked eye; for example, such dust can be seen on snow. It is fatal if anyone gets nearby. The smallest particles can remain in the atmosphere for many years and “travel” in this way, circling the entire planet several times. Their radioactive emissions will become weaker by the time they fall out as precipitation.

Its explosion is capable of wiping Moscow off the face of the earth in a matter of seconds. The city center could easily evaporate into literally words, and everything else could turn into the smallest rubble. The most powerful bomb in the world would wipe out New York and all its skyscrapers. It would leave behind a twenty-kilometer-long molten smooth crater. With such an explosion, it would not have been possible to escape by going down to the subway. The entire territory within a radius of 700 kilometers would be destroyed and infected with radioactive particles.

Explosion of the Tsar Bomba - to be or not to be?

In the summer of 1961, scientists decided to conduct a test and observe the explosion. The most powerful bomb in the world was to explode at a test site located in the very north of Russia. The huge area of the landfill occupies the entire territory of the island New Earth. The scale of the defeat was supposed to be 1000 kilometers. The explosion could have left industrial centers such as Vorkuta, Dudinka and Norilsk contaminated. Scientists, having comprehended the scale of the disaster, put their heads together and realized that the test was cancelled.

There was no place to test the famous and incredibly powerful bomb anywhere on the planet, only Antarctica remained. But it was also not possible to carry out an explosion on the icy continent, since the territory is considered international and obtaining permission for such tests is simply unrealistic. I had to reduce the charge of this bomb by 2 times. The bomb was nevertheless detonated on October 30, 1961 in the same place - on the island of Novaya Zemlya (at an altitude of about 4 kilometers). During the explosion, a monstrous huge atomic mushroom was observed, which rose 67 kilometers into the air, and the shock wave circled the planet three times. By the way, in the Arzamas-16 museum in the city of Sarov, you can watch newsreels of the explosion on an excursion, although they claim that this spectacle is not for the faint of heart.

If you think that the atomic warhead is the most terrible weapon of mankind, then you do not yet know about the hydrogen bomb. We decided to correct this oversight and talk about what it is. We have already talked about and.

A little about the terminology and principles of work in pictures

Understanding what a nuclear warhead looks like and why, it is necessary to consider the principle of its operation, based on the fission reaction. First, an atomic bomb detonates. The shell contains isotopes of uranium and plutonium. They disintegrate into particles, capturing neutrons. Next, one atom is destroyed and the fission of the rest is initiated. This is done using a chain process. At the end, the nuclear reaction itself begins. The bomb's parts become one whole. The charge begins to exceed critical mass. With the help of such a structure, energy is released and an explosion occurs.

By the way, a nuclear bomb is also called an atomic bomb. And hydrogen is called thermonuclear. Therefore, the question of how an atomic bomb differs from a nuclear one is inherently incorrect. It is the same. Difference nuclear bomb from thermonuclear is not only in the name.

The thermonuclear reaction is based not on the fission reaction, but on the compression of heavy nuclei. A nuclear warhead is the detonator or fuse for a hydrogen bomb. In other words, imagine a huge barrel of water. An atomic rocket is immersed in it. Water is a heavy liquid. Here the proton with sound is replaced in the hydrogen nucleus by two elements - deuterium and tritium:

Deuterium is one proton and a neutron. Their mass is twice that of hydrogen;
Tritium consists of one proton and two neutrons. They are three times heavier than hydrogen.

Thermonuclear bomb tests

, the end of World War II, a race began between America and the USSR and the world community realized that a nuclear or hydrogen bomb was more powerful. The destructive power of atomic weapons began to attract each side. The United States was the first to make and test a nuclear bomb. But it soon became clear that it could not be large. Therefore, it was decided to try to make a thermonuclear warhead. Here again America succeeded. The Soviets decided not to lose the race and tested a compact but powerful missile that could be transported even on a regular Tu-16 aircraft. Then everyone understood the difference between a nuclear bomb and a hydrogen bomb.

For example, the first American thermonuclear warhead was as tall as a three-story house. It could not be delivered by small transport. But then, according to developments by the USSR, the dimensions were reduced. If we analyze, we can conclude that these terrible destructions were not that great. In TNT equivalent, the impact force was only a few tens of kilotons. Therefore, buildings were destroyed in only two cities, and the sound of a nuclear bomb was heard in the rest of the country. If it were a hydrogen rocket, all of Japan would be completely destroyed with just one warhead.

A nuclear bomb with too much charge may explode inadvertently. A chain reaction will begin and an explosion will occur. Considering the differences between nuclear atomic and hydrogen bombs, it is worth noting this point. After all, a thermonuclear warhead can be made of any power without fear of spontaneous detonation.

This interested Khrushchev, who ordered the creation of the most powerful hydrogen warhead in the world and thus get closer to winning the race. It seemed to him that 100 megatons was optimal. Soviet scientists pushed themselves hard and managed to invest 50 megatons. Tests began on the island of Novaya Zemlya, where there was a military training ground. To this day, the Tsar Bomba is called the largest bomb exploded on the planet.

The explosion occurred in 1961. Within a radius of several hundred kilometers from the test site, a hasty evacuation of people took place, as scientists calculated that all houses without exception would be destroyed. But no one expected such an effect. The blast wave circled the planet three times. The landfill remained a “blank slate”; all the hills on it disappeared. Buildings turned to sand in a second. A terrible explosion was heard within a radius of 800 kilometers. The fireball from the use of such a warhead as the universal destroyer runic nuclear bomb in Japan was visible only in cities. But from the hydrogen rocket it rose 5 kilometers in diameter. The mushroom of dust, radiation and soot grew 67 kilometers. According to scientists, its cap was a hundred kilometers in diameter. Just imagine what would have happened if the explosion had occurred within the city limits.

Modern dangers of using the hydrogen bomb

Difference atomic bomb from thermonuclear we have already considered. Now imagine what the consequences of the explosion would have been if the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki had been a hydrogen bomb with a thematic equivalent. There would be no trace left of Japan.

Based on the test results, scientists concluded the consequences of a thermonuclear bomb. Some people think that a hydrogen warhead is cleaner, meaning it is not actually radioactive. This is due to the fact that people hear the name “water” and underestimate its deplorable impact on the environment.

As we have already figured out, a hydrogen warhead is based on a huge amount of radioactive substances. It is possible to make a rocket without a uranium charge, but so far this has not been used in practice. The process itself will be very complex and costly. Therefore, the fusion reaction is diluted with uranium and a huge explosive power is obtained. The radioactive fallout that inexorably falls on the drop target is increased by 1000%. They will harm the health of even those who are tens of thousands of kilometers from the epicenter. When detonated, a huge fireball is created. Everything that comes within its radius of action is destroyed. The scorched earth may be uninhabitable for decades. Absolutely nothing will grow over a vast area. And knowing the strength of the charge, using a certain formula, you can calculate the theoretically contaminated area.

Also worth mentioning about such an effect as nuclear winter. This concept is even more terrible than destroyed cities and hundreds of thousands human lives. Not only the dump site will be destroyed, but virtually the entire world. At first, only one territory will lose its habitable status. But a radioactive substance will be released into the atmosphere, which will reduce the brightness of the sun. This will all mix with dust, smoke, soot and create a veil. It will spread throughout the planet. The crops in the fields will be destroyed for several decades to come. This effect will provoke famine on Earth. The population will immediately decrease several times. And nuclear winter looks more than real. Indeed, in the history of mankind, and more specifically, in 1816, a similar case was known after powerful eruption volcano There was a year without summer on the planet at that time.

Skeptics who do not believe in such a coincidence of circumstances can be convinced by the calculations of scientists:

When the Earth cools by a degree, no one will notice it. But this will affect the amount of precipitation.
In autumn there will be a cooling of 4 degrees. Due to the lack of rain, crop failures are possible. Hurricanes will begin even in places where they have never existed.
When temperatures drop a few more degrees, the planet will experience its first year without summer.
This will be followed by the Little Ice Age. The temperature drops by 40 degrees. Even in a short time it will be destructive for the planet. On Earth there will be crop failures and the extinction of people living in the northern zones.
Afterwards the ice age will come. Reflection of the sun's rays will occur without reaching the surface of the earth. Due to this, the air temperature will reach a critical level. Crops and trees will stop growing on the planet, and water will freeze. This will lead to the extinction of most of the population.
Those who survive will not survive the final period - an irreversible cold snap. This option is completely sad. It will be the real end of humanity. The earth will turn into new planet, unsuitable for human habitation.

Now about another danger. As soon as Russia and the USA left the stage cold war, as a new threat appeared. If you have heard about who Kim Jong Il is, then you understand that he will not stop there. This rocket lover, tyrant and ruler North Korea in one bottle, can easily provoke nuclear conflict. He talks about the hydrogen bomb constantly and notes that his part of the country already has warheads. Fortunately, no one has seen them live yet. Russia, America, as well as its closest neighbors - South Korea and Japan, are very concerned even about such hypothetical statements. Therefore, we hope that North Korea’s developments and technologies will not be at a sufficient level for a long time to destroy the entire world.

For reference. At the bottom of the world's oceans lie dozens of bombs that were lost during transportation. And in Chernobyl, which is not so far from us, huge reserves of uranium are still stored.

It is worth considering whether such consequences can be allowed for the sake of testing a hydrogen bomb. And if a global conflict occurs between the countries possessing these weapons, there will be no states, no people, or anything at all left on the planet, the Earth will turn into a blank slate. And if we consider how a nuclear bomb differs from a thermonuclear bomb, the main point is the amount of destruction, as well as the subsequent effect.

Now a small conclusion. We figured out that a nuclear bomb and an atomic bomb are one and the same. It is also the basis for a thermonuclear warhead. But using neither one nor the other is not recommended, even for testing. The sound of the explosion and what the aftermath looks like is not the worst thing. This threatens a nuclear winter, the death of hundreds of thousands of inhabitants at once and numerous consequences for humanity. Although there are differences between charges such as an atomic bomb and a nuclear bomb, the effect of both is destructive for all living things.

On August 12, 1953, the first Soviet hydrogen bomb was tested at the Semipalatinsk test site.

And on January 16, 1963, at the height of the Cold War, Nikita Khrushchev told the world that Soviet Union has new weapons of mass destruction in its arsenal. A year and a half earlier, the most powerful hydrogen bomb explosion in the world was carried out in the USSR - a charge with a capacity of over 50 megatons was detonated on Novaya Zemlya. In many ways, it was this statement by the Soviet leader that made the world realize the threat of further escalation of the nuclear arms race: already on August 5, 1963, an agreement was signed in Moscow banning nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, outer space and under water.

History of creation

The theoretical possibility of obtaining energy by thermonuclear fusion was known even before World War II, but it was the war and the subsequent arms race that raised the question of creating a technical device for the practical creation of this reaction. It is known that in Germany in 1944, work was carried out to initiate thermonuclear fusion by compressing nuclear fuel using charges of conventional explosive- but they were unsuccessful, since it was not possible to obtain the required temperatures and pressure. The USA and the USSR have been developing thermonuclear weapons since the 40s, almost simultaneously testing the first thermonuclear devices in the early 50s. In 1952, the United States exploded a charge with a yield of 10.4 megatons on the Eniwetak Atoll (which is 450 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki), and in 1953, the USSR tested a device with a yield of 400 kilotons.

The designs of the first thermonuclear devices were poorly suited for actual combat use. For example, the device tested by the United States in 1952 was a ground-based structure the height of a 2-story building and weighing over 80 tons. Liquid thermonuclear fuel was stored in it using a huge refrigeration unit. Therefore, in the future, serial production of thermonuclear weapons was carried out using solid fuel - lithium-6 deuteride. In 1954, the United States tested a device based on it at Bikini Atoll, and in 1955, a new Soviet thermonuclear bomb was tested at the Semipalatinsk test site. In 1957, tests of a hydrogen bomb were carried out in Great Britain. In October 1961, a thermonuclear bomb with a capacity of 58 megatons was detonated in the USSR on Novaya Zemlya - the most powerful bomb ever tested by mankind, which went down in history under the name “Tsar Bomba”.

Further development was aimed at reducing the size of the design of hydrogen bombs to ensure their delivery to the target by ballistic missiles. Already in the 60s, the mass of devices was reduced to several hundred kilograms, and by the 70s, ballistic missiles could carry over 10 warheads at the same time - these are missiles with multiple warheads, each part can hit its own target. Today, the USA, Russia and Great Britain have thermonuclear arsenals; tests of thermonuclear charges were also carried out in China (in 1967) and in France (in 1968).

The principle of operation of a hydrogen bomb

The action of a hydrogen bomb is based on the use of energy released during the thermonuclear fusion reaction of light nuclei. It is this reaction that takes place in the depths of stars, where, under the influence of ultra-high temperatures and enormous pressure, hydrogen nuclei collide and merge into heavier helium nuclei. During the reaction, part of the mass of hydrogen nuclei is converted into a large amount of energy - thanks to this, stars constantly release huge amounts of energy. Scientists copied this reaction using hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium, giving it the name “hydrogen bomb.” Initially, liquid isotopes of hydrogen were used to produce charges, and later lithium-6 deuteride, a solid compound of deuterium and an isotope of lithium, was used.

Lithium-6 deuteride is the main component of the hydrogen bomb, thermonuclear fuel. It already stores deuterium, and the lithium isotope serves as the raw material for the formation of tritium. To start a thermonuclear fusion reaction, it is necessary to create high temperatures and pressures, as well as to separate tritium from lithium-6. These conditions are provided as follows.

The shell of the container for thermonuclear fuel is made of uranium-238 and plastic, and a conventional nuclear charge with a power of several kilotons is placed next to the container - it is called a trigger, or initiator charge of a hydrogen bomb. During the explosion of the plutonium initiator charge under the influence of powerful X-ray radiation, the shell of the container turns into plasma, compressing thousands of times, which creates the necessary high pressure and enormous temperature. At the same time, neutrons emitted by plutonium interact with lithium-6, forming tritium. Deuterium and tritium nuclei interact under the influence of ultra-high temperature and pressure, which leads to a thermonuclear explosion.

If you make several layers of uranium-238 and lithium-6 deuteride, then each of them will add its own power to the explosion of a bomb - that is, such a “puff” allows you to increase the power of the explosion almost unlimitedly. Thanks to this, a hydrogen bomb can be made of almost any power, and it will be much cheaper than a conventional nuclear bomb of the same power.

The content of the article

H-BOMB, a weapon of great destructive power (on the order of megatons in TNT equivalent), the operating principle of which is based on the reaction of thermonuclear fusion of light nuclei. The source of explosion energy is processes similar to those occurring on the Sun and other stars.

Thermonuclear reactions.

The interior of the Sun contains a gigantic amount of hydrogen, which is in a state of ultra-high compression at a temperature of approx. 15,000,000 K. At such high temperatures and plasma densities, hydrogen nuclei experience constant collisions with each other, some of which result in their fusion and ultimately the formation of heavier helium nuclei. Such reactions, called thermonuclear fusion, are accompanied by the release of enormous amounts of energy. According to the laws of physics, the energy release during thermonuclear fusion is due to the fact that during the formation of more heavy core part of the mass of the light nuclei included in its composition is converted into a colossal amount of energy. That is why the Sun, having a gigantic mass, loses approx. every day in the process of thermonuclear fusion. 100 billion tons of matter and releases energy, thanks to which it became possible life on the ground.

Isotopes of hydrogen.

The hydrogen atom is the simplest of all existing atoms. It consists of one proton, which is its nucleus, around which a single electron rotates. Careful studies of water (H 2 O) have shown that it contains negligible amounts of “heavy” water containing the “heavy isotope” of hydrogen - deuterium (2 H). The deuterium nucleus consists of a proton and a neutron - a neutral particle with a mass close to a proton.

There is a third isotope of hydrogen, tritium, whose nucleus contains one proton and two neutrons. Tritium is unstable and undergoes spontaneous radioactive decay, turning into an isotope of helium. Traces of tritium have been found in the Earth's atmosphere, where it is formed as a result of the interaction of cosmic rays with gas molecules that make up the air. Tritium is produced artificially in a nuclear reactor by irradiating the lithium-6 isotope with a stream of neutrons.

Development of the hydrogen bomb.

Preliminary theoretical analysis has shown that thermonuclear fusion is most easily accomplished in a mixture of deuterium and tritium. Taking this as a basis, US scientists at the beginning of 1950 began implementing a project to create a hydrogen bomb (HB). The first tests of a model nuclear device were carried out at the Enewetak test site in the spring of 1951; thermonuclear fusion was only partial. Significant success was achieved on November 1, 1951 during the testing of a massive nuclear device, the explosion power of which was 4 × 8 Mt in TNT equivalent.

The first hydrogen aerial bomb was detonated in the USSR on August 12, 1953, and on March 1, 1954, the Americans detonated a more powerful (approximately 15 Mt) aerial bomb on Bikini Atoll. Since then, both powers have carried out explosions of advanced megaton weapons.

The explosion at Bikini Atoll was accompanied by the release of large quantity radioactive substances. Some of them fell hundreds of kilometers from the explosion site on the Japanese fishing vessel "Lucky Dragon", while others covered the island of Rongelap. Since stable helium is formed as a result of thermonuclear fusion, the radioactivity in the explosion of a pure hydrogen bomb should be no more than that of an atomic thermodetonator. nuclear reaction. However, in the case under consideration, the predicted and actual radioactive fallout differed significantly in quantity and composition.

The mechanism of action of a hydrogen bomb.

The sequence of processes occurring during the explosion of a hydrogen bomb can be represented as follows. First, the thermonuclear reaction initiator charge (a small atomic bomb) located inside the HB shell explodes, resulting in a neutron flash and creating the high temperature necessary to initiate thermonuclear fusion. Neutrons bombard an insert made of lithium deuteride, a compound of deuterium and lithium (a lithium isotope with mass number 6 is used). Lithium-6 is split into helium and tritium under the influence of neutrons. Thus, the atomic fuse creates the materials necessary for synthesis directly in the actual bomb itself.

Then a thermonuclear reaction begins in a mixture of deuterium and tritium, the temperature inside the bomb rapidly increases, involving more and more large quantity hydrogen. With a further increase in temperature, a reaction between deuterium nuclei, characteristic of a pure hydrogen bomb, could begin. All reactions, of course, occur so quickly that they are perceived as instantaneous.

Fission, fusion, fission (superbomb).

In fact, in a bomb, the sequence of processes described above ends at the stage of the reaction of deuterium with tritium. Further, the bomb designers chose not to use nuclear fusion, but nuclear fission. The fusion of deuterium and tritium nuclei produces helium and fast neutrons, the energy of which is high enough to cause nuclear fission of uranium-238 (the main isotope of uranium, much cheaper than the uranium-235 used in conventional atomic bombs). Fast neutrons split the atoms of the uranium shell of the superbomb. The fission of one ton of uranium creates energy equivalent to 18 Mt. Energy goes not only to explosion and heat generation. Each uranium nucleus splits into two highly radioactive “fragments.” The fission products include 36 different chemical elements and almost 200 radioactive isotopes. All this constitutes the radioactive fallout that accompanies superbomb explosions.

Thanks to the unique design and the described mechanism of action, weapons of this type can be made as powerful as desired. It is much cheaper than atomic bombs of the same power.

Consequences of the explosion.

Shock wave and thermal effect.

The direct (primary) impact of a superbomb explosion is threefold. The most obvious direct impact is a shock wave of enormous intensity. The strength of its impact, depending on the power of the bomb, the height of the explosion above the surface of the earth and the nature of the terrain, decreases with distance from the epicenter of the explosion. The thermal impact of an explosion is determined by the same factors, but also depends on the transparency of the air - fog sharply reduces the distance at which a thermal flash can cause serious burns.

According to calculations, during an explosion in the atmosphere of a 20-megaton bomb, people will remain alive in 50% of cases if they 1) take refuge in an underground reinforced concrete shelter at a distance of approximately 8 km from the epicenter of the explosion (E), 2) are in ordinary urban buildings at a distance of approx. . 15 km from EV, 3) found themselves in an open place at a distance of approx. 20 km from EV. In conditions of poor visibility and at a distance of at least 25 km, if the atmosphere is clear, for people in open areas, the likelihood of survival increases rapidly with distance from the epicenter; at a distance of 32 km its calculated value is more than 90%. The area over which the penetrating radiation generated during an explosion causes death is relatively small, even in the case of a high-power superbomb.

Fire ball.

Depending on the composition and mass of flammable material involved in the fireball, giant self-sustaining firestorms can form and rage for many hours. However, the most dangerous (albeit secondary) consequence of the explosion is radioactive contamination of the environment.

Fallout.

How they are formed.

When a bomb explodes, the resulting fireball is filled with a huge amount of radioactive particles. Typically, these particles are so small that once they reach the upper atmosphere, they can remain there for a long time. But if a fireball comes into contact with the surface of the Earth, it turns everything on it into hot dust and ash and draws them into a fiery tornado. In a whirlwind of flame, they mix and bind with radioactive particles. Radioactive dust, except the largest, does not settle immediately. Finer dust is carried away by the resulting cloud and gradually falls out as it moves with the wind. Directly at the site of the explosion, radioactive fallout can be extremely intense - mainly large dust settling on the ground. Hundreds of kilometers from the explosion site and at greater distances, small but still visible particles of ash fall to the ground. They often form a cover similar to fallen snow, deadly to anyone who happens to be nearby. Even smaller and invisible particles, before they settle on the ground, can wander in the atmosphere for months and even years, circling the globe many times. By the time they fall out, their radioactivity is significantly weakened. The most dangerous radiation remains strontium-90 with a half-life of 28 years. Its loss is clearly observed throughout the world. When it settles on leaves and grass, it enters food chains that include humans. As a consequence of this, noticeable, although not yet dangerous, amounts of strontium-90 have been found in the bones of residents of most countries. The accumulation of strontium-90 in human bones is very dangerous in the long term, as it leads to the formation of malignant bone tumors.

Long-term contamination of the area with radioactive fallout.

In the event of hostilities, the use of a hydrogen bomb will lead to immediate radioactive contamination areas within a radius of approx. 100 km from the epicenter of the explosion. If a superbomb explodes, an area of tens of thousands of square kilometers will be contaminated. Such a huge area of destruction with a single bomb makes it a completely new type of weapon. Even if the superbomb does not hit the target, i.e. will not hit the object with shock-thermal effects, the penetrating radiation and radioactive fallout accompanying the explosion will make the surrounding space uninhabitable. Such precipitation can continue for many days, weeks and even months. Depending on their quantity, the intensity of radiation can reach deadly levels. A relatively small number of superbombs is enough to completely cover a large country with a layer of radioactive dust that is deadly to all living things. Thus, the creation of the superbomb marked the beginning of an era when it became possible to make entire continents uninhabitable. Even long after the cessation of direct exposure to radioactive fallout, the danger due to the high radiotoxicity of isotopes such as strontium-90 will remain. With food grown on soils contaminated with this isotope, radioactivity will enter the human body.

The geopolitical ambitions of major powers always lead to an arms race. The development of new military technologies gave one country or another an advantage over others. Thus, with leaps and bounds, humanity approached the emergence of terrible weapons - nuclear bomb. From what date did the report of the atomic era begin, how many countries on our planet have nuclear potential, and what is the fundamental difference between a hydrogen bomb and an atomic one? You can find the answer to these and other questions by reading this article.

What is the difference between a hydrogen bomb and a nuclear bomb?

Any nuclear weapon based on intranuclear reaction, the power of which is capable of almost instantly destroying a large number of living units, as well as equipment, and all kinds of buildings and structures. Let's consider the classification of nuclear warheads in service with some countries:

Nuclear (atomic) bomb. During the nuclear reaction and fission of plutonium and uranium, energy is released on a colossal scale. Typically, one warhead contains two plutonium charges of the same mass, which explode away from each other.
Hydrogen (thermonuclear) bomb. Energy is released based on the fusion of hydrogen nuclei (hence the name). The intensity of the shock wave and the amount of energy released exceeds atomic energy by several times.

What is more powerful: a nuclear or a hydrogen bomb?

While scientists were puzzling over how to let atomic energy obtained in the process of thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen for peaceful purposes, the military has already conducted more than a dozen tests. It turned out that charge in a few megatons of a hydrogen bomb are thousands of times more powerful than an atomic bomb. It’s even difficult to imagine what would have happened to Hiroshima (and indeed to Japan itself) if there had been hydrogen in the 20-kiloton bomb thrown at it.

Consider the powerful destructive force that results from a 50 megaton hydrogen bomb explosion:

Fire ball: diameter 4.5 -5 kilometers in diameter.
Sound wave: The explosion can be heard from 800 kilometers away.
Energy: from the released energy, a person can get burns to the skin, being up to 100 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion.
nuclear mushroom: height is more than 70 km in height, the radius of the cap is about 50 km.

Atomic bombs of such power have never been detonated before. There are indicators of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, but its size was significantly inferior to the hydrogen discharge described above:

Fire ball: diameter about 300 meters.
nuclear mushroom: height 12 km, cap radius - about 5 km.
Energy: the temperature at the center of the explosion reached 3000C°.

Now in the arsenal of nuclear powers are namely hydrogen bombs. In addition to the fact that they are ahead in their characteristics of their " little brothers", they are much cheaper to produce.

The principle of operation of a hydrogen bomb

Let's look at it step by step, stages of detonating hydrogen bombs:

Charge detonation. The charge is in a special shell. After detonation, neutrons are released and the high temperature required to begin nuclear fusion in the main charge is created.
Lithium fission. Under the influence of neutrons, lithium splits into helium and tritium.
Thermonuclear fusion. Tritium and helium launch thermonuclear reaction, as a result of which hydrogen enters the process, and the temperature inside the charge instantly increases. A thermonuclear explosion occurs.

The principle of operation of an atomic bomb

Charge detonation. The bomb shell contains several isotopes (uranium, plutonium, etc.), which decay under the detonation field and capture neutrons.
Avalanche process. The destruction of one atom initiates the decay of several more atoms. There is a chain process that leads to the destruction of a large number of nuclei.
Nuclear reaction. In a very short time, all parts of the bomb form one whole, and the mass of the charge begins to exceed the critical mass. A huge amount of energy is released, after which an explosion occurs.

The danger of nuclear war

Back in the middle of the last century, the danger nuclear war was unlikely. Two countries had atomic weapons in their arsenal - the USSR and the USA. The leaders of the two superpowers were well aware of the danger of using weapons of mass destruction, and the arms race was most likely conducted as a “competitive” confrontation.

Of course, there were tense moments in relation to the powers, but common sense always prevailed over ambitions.

The situation changed at the end of the 20th century. Not only developed countries have taken possession of the “nuclear baton” Western Europe, but also representatives of Asia.

But, as you probably know, " nuclear club"consists of 10 countries. It is unofficially believed that Israel, and possibly Iran, have nuclear warheads. Although the latter, after the imposition of economic sanctions on them, abandoned the development of the nuclear program.

After the appearance of the first atomic bomb, scientists in the USSR and the USA began to think about weapons that would not cause such great destruction and contamination of enemy territories, but would have a targeted effect on the human body. The idea arose about creation of a neutron bomb.

The operating principle is interaction of neutron flux with living flesh and military equipment . The more radioactive isotopes produced instantly destroy a person, and tanks, transporters and other weapons become sources of strong radiation for a short time.

A neutron bomb explodes at a distance of 200 meters to ground level, and is especially effective during an enemy tank attack. Armor military equipment 250 mm thick, capable of reducing the effects of a nuclear bomb several times, but is powerless against the gamma radiation of a neutron bomb. Let's consider the effects of a neutron projectile with a power of up to 1 kiloton on a tank crew:

As you understand, the difference between a hydrogen bomb and an atomic bomb is enormous. The difference in the nuclear fission reaction between these charges makes a hydrogen bomb is hundreds of times more destructive than an atomic bomb.

When using a 1 megaton thermonuclear bomb, everything within a radius of 10 kilometers will be destroyed. Not only buildings and equipment will suffer, but also all living things.

The heads of nuclear countries should remember this, and use the “nuclear” threat solely as a deterrent tool, and not as an offensive weapon.

Video about the differences between the atomic and hydrogen bombs

This video will describe in detail and step by step the principle of operation of an atomic bomb, as well as the main differences from the hydrogen one: