Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is a bomb where the destructive force of the explosion comes from an uncontrolled nuclear detonation, which releases massive amounts of thermal, and as a byproduct, radioactive energy. Conventional bombs use a chemical reaction as the source of their explosive force.
Nuclear bombs usually have dramatically more destructive power than conventional bombs, where the power of a nuclear bomb is measured in kilotons. One kiloton has the equivalent explosive force of 1,000 tons of TNT.
Little Boy was the first atomic bomb ever used during warfare. It was developed by the United States during World War II, and was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima on August 6th, 1945. It had an explosive for of approximately 13 kilotons. Modern U.S. nuclear weapons such as the W88 warhead used on the Trident II missile, has a yield of 475 kilotons. Given the strength and size of the current US nuclear arsenal, the use of even a fraction of it would have devastating effects on the world's climate, probably rendering it unsuitable for human life.
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Types of Nuclear Weapons
Fission Bombs
Fission bombs are characterized by a type of bomb where the nuclear force comes from a fission reaction. At it’s simplest, two sub-critical amounts of a fissile material are joined to form a critical mass which undergoes a spontaneous chain reaction. Bombs such as these usually use isotopes of uranium (uranium-235, uranium-233) or plutonium-239 as the fissile material.
Little Boy and Fat Man, developed and used in World War II by the United States are examples of fission bombs.
Fusion Bombs
Fusion bombs, also known as Thermonuclear bombs, derive their energy from the fusion of atoms, usually either deuterium or tritium, which are isotopes of Hydrogen. Fusion of hydrogen to helium is the same process which causes our sun and stars to shine.
A thermonuclear detonation is typically started with the ignition of a compression fission bomb, which through a series of steps depending on the particular bomb design, produces temperatures and pressures high enough to ignite the fusion reaction of either the tritium or deuterium at the core of the bomb.
Dirty Bomb
A dirty bomb is bomb designed to spread radioactive material through the detonation of conventional explosives. A dirty bomb does not detonate it’s nuclear material during the explosion.
The primary danger posed by a dirty bomb is the residual radioactive material contaminating the area around the blast site. The specific danger posed depends on the radioactive material used in the bomb, which can range from elevated levels of cancer to radiation poisoning.
Nuclear States
The following countries are known to possess nuclear weapons:
- United States
- Former Soviet Republics
- United Kingdom
- France
- China
- India
- Israel
- Pakistan
- North Korea
The following countries are known to have once had nuclear weapons:
- South Africa (dismantled stockpile in 1990's)
- Belarus
- Ukraine
- Kazakhstan
Many other countries have at one time had an active nuclear weapons development program, but most have officially stopped research into weaponization. Although a country may have the technology for nuclear power, it may not have the capability to produce nuclear weapons, which would require the ability to enrich uranium.
