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Re: Nuclear Weapons Material

To: [email protected] (Stephen D. Williams)
Subject: Re: Nuclear Weapons Material
From: Mikolaj Habryn <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 1994 10:15:09 +0800 (WST)
Cc: [email protected]
In-Reply-To: <m0qczBi-0009z1C@sdwsys> from "Stephen D. Williams" at Aug 23, 94 04:59:05 pm
Sender: [email protected]

> 
> Fusion bombs I thought used tritium as fuel and needed a Plutonium
> trigger or something.  They are supposedly set off with some kind of
> inner mirrored ball with high powered lasers.  Fission then fusion I
> believe.
> 

	The plutonium trigger is set off using conventional explosives
to implode a hollow sphere of the material. While this technique is
superficially similar to the gun-type triggering used by U-235 fuelled
bombs, the geometry prevents the Pu-239 from fissioning prematurely.
	The tritium is used as a neutron source - it releases neutrons
when sufficiently motivated to do so.

-- 
*       *       Mikolaj J. Habryn
                [email protected]
    *           "I'm just another sniper on the information super-highway."
                PGP Public key available by finger
    *           #include <standard-disclaimer.h>

Follow-Ups:
- Re: Nuclear Weapons Material
  - From: "Perry E. Metzger" <[email protected]>

References:
- Re: Nuclear Weapons Material
  - From: [email protected] (Stephen D. Williams)

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