Thermonuclear bomb device. Hydrogen (thermonuclear) bomb: tests of weapons of mass destruction

Date: 01.10.2019

On October 30, 1961, the most powerful explosion in the history of mankind thundered at the Soviet nuclear test site on Novaya Zemlya. The nuclear mushroom rose to a height of 67 kilometers, and the diameter of the "cap" of this mushroom was 95 kilometers. The shock wave circled the globe three times (and the blast wave demolished wooden buildings at a distance of several hundred kilometers from the landfill). The flash of the explosion was visible from a distance of a thousand kilometers, despite the fact that thick clouds hung over Novaya Zemlya. For nearly an hour, radio communications were out of service throughout the Arctic. The power of the explosion, according to various sources, was from 50 to 57 megatons (million tons of TNT).

However, as Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev joked, the bomb power was not brought to 100 megatons, only because in this case all the glass would have been knocked out in Moscow. But, in every joke there is a grain of joke - it was originally planned to detonate exactly a 100 megaton bomb. And the explosion on Novaya Zemlya convincingly proved that the creation of a bomb with a capacity of at least 100 megatons, at least 200, is a completely feasible task. But 50 megatons is almost ten times the power of all the ammunition spent during the entire Second World war by all participating countries. In addition, in the case of testing a product with a capacity of 100 megatons, only a melted crater would remain from the landfill on Novaya Zemlya (and from most of this island). In Moscow, the glasses would most likely have survived, but in Murmansk they could have taken off.

Model of a hydrogen bomb. Historical and Memorial Museum of Nuclear Weapons in Sarov

The device, detonated at an altitude of 4200 meters above sea level on October 30, 1961, went down in history under the name "Tsar Bomba". Another unofficial name is Kuzkina Mother. And the official name of this hydrogen bomb was not so loud - a modest product AN602. This miracle weapon had no military significance - not in tons of TNT equivalent, but in ordinary metric tons, the "product" weighed 26 tons and it would be problematic to deliver it to the "addressee". It was a demonstration of strength - clear proof that the Land of the Soviets is capable of creating weapons of mass destruction of any power. What made the leadership of our country take such an unprecedented step? Of course, nothing more than the aggravation of relations with the United States. More recently, it seemed that the United States and Soviet Union reached an understanding on all issues - in September 1959, Khrushchev paid an official visit to the United States, and a return visit to Moscow by President Dwight Eisenhower was also planned. But on May 1, 1960, an American U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over Soviet territory. In April 1961, the American special services organized the landing of well-trained and trained Cuban immigrants in Cuba in the Bay of Playa Giron (this adventure ended with a convincing victory for Fidel Castro). In Europe, the great powers could not decide on the status of West Berlin. As a result, on August 13, 1961, the capital of Germany was blocked by the famous Berlin Wall. Finally, in that 1961, the United States deployed PGM-19 Jupiter missiles in Turkey - the European part of Russia (including Moscow) was within range of these missiles (a year later, the Soviet Union would deploy missiles in Cuba and the famous Caribbean Crisis would begin). This is not to mention the fact that there was no parity in the number of nuclear charges and their carriers at that time between the Soviet Union and America - we could only oppose 6,000 American warheads with only 300. So, the demonstration of thermonuclear power was not at all superfluous in the current situation.

Soviet short film about the test of the Tsar Bomba

There is a popular myth that the superbomb was developed by order of Khrushchev in the same 1961 in record time - in just 112 days. In fact, the bomb has been in development since 1954. And in 1961, the developers simply brought the existing "product" to the required power. In parallel, the Tupolev Design Bureau was engaged in the modernization of Tu-16 and Tu-95 aircraft for new weapons. According to initial calculations, the weight of the bomb was supposed to be at least 40 tons, but the aircraft designers explained to the nuclear specialists that at the moment there are no carriers for a product with such a weight and cannot be. The nuclear workers have promised to reduce the weight of the bomb to an acceptable 20 tons. True, even such a weight and such dimensions required a complete alteration of the bomb compartments, mountings, bomb bays.

Hydrogen bomb explosion

Work on the bomb was carried out by a group of young nuclear physicists under the leadership of I.V. Kurchatov. This group also included Andrei Sakharov, who at that time did not even think about dissidence. Moreover, he was one of the leading product developers.

This power was achieved thanks to the use of a multistage design - a uranium charge with a capacity of "only" one and a half megatons launched a nuclear reaction in a second stage charge with a capacity of 50 megatons. Without changing the dimensions of the bomb, it was possible to make it three-stage (this is already over 100 megatons). Theoretically, the number of stage charges could be unlimited. The bomb design was unique for its time.

Khrushchev rushed the developers - in October, in the newly built Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the XXII Congress of the CPSU broke off and announce the news about the powerful explosion in the history of mankind it should be from the rostrum of the congress. And on October 30, October 30, 1961, Khrushchev received a long-awaited telegram signed by the Minister of Medium Machine Building E.P. Slavsky and Marshal of the Soviet Union K. S. Moskalenko (test leaders):

"Moscow. Kremlin. Nikita Khrushchev.
The test on Novaya Zemlya was successful. The safety of the testers and the surrounding population is ensured. The polygon and all the participants completed the task of the Motherland. We return to the exit. "

The explosion of Tsar Bomba almost immediately served as fertile ground for all sorts of myths. Some of them were distributed ... by the official seal. So, for example, "Pravda" called "Tsar-Bomba" just yesterday atomic weapons and argued that more powerful charges had already been created. Not without rumors of a self-sustaining thermonuclear reaction in the atmosphere. The decrease in the power of the explosion, according to some, was caused by the fear of splitting earth crust or ... trigger a thermonuclear reaction in the oceans.

But, be that as it may, a year later, during the Cuban missile crisis, the United States still had an overwhelming superiority in the number of nuclear warheads. But they did not dare to apply them.

In addition, the mega-explosion is believed to have helped to get the ball rolling in the three-Wednesday nuclear test ban negotiations that have been under way in Geneva since the late 1950s. In 1959-60, all the nuclear powers, with the exception of France, accepted a unilateral test waiver while these negotiations were ongoing. But the reasons that forced the Soviet Union not to comply with its obligations, we talked about below. After the explosion on Novaya Zemlya, negotiations resumed. And on October 10, 1963 in Moscow, the "Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests in the Atmosphere, outer space and under water. " As long as this Treaty is respected, the Soviet Tsar Bomba will remain the most powerful explosive device in human history.

Modern computer reconstruction

H-BOMB
a weapon of great destructive power (of the order of megatons in TNT equivalent), the principle of operation of which is based on the reaction of thermonuclear fusion of light nuclei. The source of the explosion energy are processes similar to the processes taking place in the Sun and other stars.
Thermonuclear reactions. The interior of the Sun contains a huge amount of hydrogen, which is in a state of ultra-high compression at a temperature of approx. 15,000,000 K. At such a high temperature and plasma density, hydrogen nuclei experience constant collisions with each other, some of which ends with their fusion and, ultimately, the formation of heavier helium nuclei. Such reactions, called thermonuclear fusion, are accompanied by the release of a huge amount of energy. According to the laws of physics, the energy release during thermonuclear fusion is due to the fact that during the formation of a heavier nucleus, 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, possessing a gigantic mass, in the process of thermonuclear fusion loses approx. 100 billion tons of matter and releases energy, thanks to which it has become possible life on the ground.
Isotopes of hydrogen. The hydrogen atom is the simplest of all atoms in existence. It consists of one proton, which is its nucleus, around which a single electron revolves. Thorough studies of water (H2O) have shown that it contains trace amounts of "heavy" water containing the "heavy isotope" of hydrogen - deuterium (2H). The deuterium nucleus consists of a proton and a neutron - a neutral particle with a mass close to a proton. There is a third hydrogen isotope, tritium, which contains one proton and two neutrons in its nucleus. Tritium is unstable and undergoes spontaneous radioactive decay, turning into an isotope of helium. Traces of tritium are found in the Earth's atmosphere, where it forms as a result of interaction cosmic rays with molecules of gases that make up the air. Tritium is produced artificially in a nuclear reactor by irradiating the isotope of lithium-6 with a flux of neutrons.
Development of a hydrogen bomb. A preliminary theoretical analysis showed that thermonuclear fusion is easiest to carry out in a mixture of deuterium and tritium. Taking this as a basis, US scientists in the early 1950s embarked on a project to create a hydrogen bomb (HB). The first tests of a model nuclear device were carried out at the Eniwetok test site in the spring of 1951; thermonuclear fusion was only partial. Significant success was achieved on November 1, 1951, when testing a massive nuclear device, the explosion power of which was 4e8 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 (about 15 Mt) aerial bomb on Bikini Atoll. Since then, both powers have detonated advanced megaton weapons. Explosion at Bikini Atoll was accompanied by a blowout a large number radioactive substances. Some of them fell hundreds of kilometers from the site of the explosion on the Japanese fishing vessel "Happy Dragon", and the other covered the island of Rongelap. Since a stable helium is formed as a result of thermonuclear fusion, the radioactivity in the explosion of a purely hydrogen bomb should be no more than that of an atomic detonator of a thermonuclear reaction. However, in the case under consideration, the predicted and actual radioactive fallout significantly differed 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 charge that initiates a thermonuclear reaction (a small atomic bomb) located inside the HB shell explodes, as a result of which a neutron flash is generated and heat required to initiate thermonuclear fusion. Neutrons bombard a lithium deuteride insert - a compound of deuterium with lithium (a lithium isotope with a mass number of 6 is used). Lithium-6 splits into helium and tritium under the action of neutrons. Thus, the atomic fuse creates the materials necessary for synthesis directly in the bomb itself. Then a thermonuclear reaction begins in a mixture of deuterium and tritium, the temperature inside the bomb rises rapidly, involving more and more hydrogen in the synthesis. With a further increase in temperature, a reaction between deuterium nuclei, characteristic of a purely hydrogen bomb, could begin. All reactions, of course, are so fast that they are perceived as instantaneous.
Division, synthesis, division (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 preferred to use nuclear fission rather than nuclear fusion. As a result of the fusion of deuterium and tritium nuclei, helium and fast neutrons are formed, the energy of which is large enough to cause the fission of uranium-238 (the main isotope of uranium, much cheaper than uranium-235 used in conventional atomic bombs). Fast neutrons split the atoms of the uranium shell of the superbomb. Fission of one ton of uranium creates energy equivalent to 18 Mt. Energy goes not only to the explosion and the release of heat. Each uranium nucleus splits into two highly radioactive "fragments". The fission products include 36 different chemical elements and nearly 200 radioactive isotopes. All this constitutes the radioactive fallout accompanying the explosions of superbombs. 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.
The consequences of the explosion. Shockwave and thermal effect. The direct (primary) effect of a superbomb explosion is threefold. The most obvious of the direct impacts is a shockwave of tremendous intensity. The strength of its impact, depending on the power of the bomb, the height of the explosion above the earth's surface and the nature of the terrain, decreases with distance from the epicenter of the explosion. The thermal effect of an explosion is determined by the same factors, but, in addition, it depends on the transparency of the air - the fog dramatically reduces the distance at which a thermal flash can cause serious burns. According to calculations, when a 20-megaton bomb explodes in the atmosphere, people will remain alive in 50% of cases if they 1) take refuge in an underground reinforced concrete shelter at a distance of about 8 km from the epicenter of the explosion (EE), 2) are in ordinary city buildings at a distance of approx ... 15 km from EV, 3) were 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 probability of surviving 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 the explosion causes death, is relatively small even in the case of a high-yield superbomb.
Fire ball. Depending on the composition and mass of the combustible material entrained in the fireball, giant self-sustaining fire hurricanes can form, raging 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 the bomb explodes, the resulting fireball is filled with a huge amount of radioactive particles. Usually, these particles are so small that, once in the upper atmosphere, they can remain there for a long time. But if a fireball touches the surface of the Earth, everything that is on it turns into red-hot dust and ash and draws them into a fiery tornado. In a vortex of flame, they mix and bind with radioactive particles. Radioactive dust, except for the largest, does not settle immediately. The finer dust is carried away by the resulting explosion cloud and gradually falls out as it moves in the wind. Directly at the site of the explosion, radioactive fallout can be extremely intense - mainly coarse dust settling on the ground. Hundreds of kilometers from the explosion site and at farther distances, small but still visible ash particles fall to the ground. Often they form a cover that looks like fallen snow, deadly to anyone who happens to be nearby. Even smaller and more invisible particles, before they settle on the earth, can wander in the atmosphere for months or even years, going around the globe many times. By the time they fall out, their radioactivity is significantly weakened. The most dangerous is the radiation of strontium-90 with a half-life of 28 years. Its fallout is clearly seen throughout the world. By settling on foliage and grass, it enters the food chains, including humans. As a result, noticeable, although not yet dangerous, amounts of strontium-90 have been found in the bones of the inhabitants 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 bone malignant 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 of an area within a radius of approx. 100 km from the epicenter of the explosion. When 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 super bomb does not hit the target, i.e. will not hit the object with shock-thermal effects, penetrating radiation and the radioactive fallout accompanying the explosion will make the surrounding space unsuitable for habitation. Such precipitation can last for days, weeks or even months. Depending on their quantity, the intensity of the radiation can reach lethal levels. A relatively small number of superbombs are 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 later long time after the cessation of direct exposure to radioactive fallout, the danger will remain due to the high radiotoxicity of isotopes such as strontium-90. With food products grown on soils contaminated with this isotope, radioactivity will enter the human body.
see also
NUCLEAR SYNTHESIS;
NUCLEAR WEAPON ;
WAR NUCLEAR.
LITERATURE
The action of nuclear weapons. M., 1960 Nuclear explosion in space, on the ground and underground. M., 1970

Collier's Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

See what a "HYDROGEN BOMB" is in other dictionaries:

An outdated name for a nuclear bomb of great destructive power, the action of which is based on the use of energy released during the reaction of fusion of light nuclei (see. Thermonuclear reactions). For the first time a hydrogen bomb was tested in the USSR (1953) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

A thermonuclear weapon is a type of weapon of mass destruction, the destructive power of which is based on the use of the energy of the nuclear fusion reaction of light elements into heavier ones (for example, the fusion of two nuclei of deuterium (heavy hydrogen) atoms into one ... ... Wikipedia

A nuclear bomb of great destructive power, the action of which is based on the use of energy released during the reaction of fusion of light nuclei (see. Thermonuclear reactions). The first thermonuclear charge (with a capacity of 3 Mt) was detonated on November 1, 1952 in the USA. ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

H-bomb- vandenilinė bomba statusas T sritis chemija apibrėžtis Termobranduolinė bomba, kurios užtaisas - deuteris ir tritis. atitikmenys: angl. H bomb; hydrogen bomb rus. hydrogen bomb ryšiai: sinonimas - H bomba ... Chemijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

H-bomb- vandenilinė bomba statusas T sritis fizika atitikmenys: angl. hydrogen bomb vok. Wasserstoffbombe, f rus. hydrogen bomb, f pranc. bombe à hydrogène, f ... Fizikos terminų žodynas

H-bomb- vandenilinė bomba statusas T sritis ekologija ir aplinkotyra apibrėžtis Bomba, kurios branduolinis užtaisas - vandenilio izotopai: deuteris ir tritis. atitikmenys: angl. H bomb; hydrogen bomb vok. Wasserstoffbombe, f rus. hydrogen bomb, f ... Ekologijos terminų aiškinamasis žodynas

An explosive bomb of great destructive power. V.'s action. based on thermonuclear reaction. See Nuclear Weapons ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

If you think that the atomic warhead is the most terrible weapon of humanity, then you do not know about the hydrogen bomb yet. 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, a detonation occurs in an atomic bomb. The shell contains isotopes of uranium and plutonium. They break up into particles, capturing neutrons. Then one atom is destroyed and the fission of the rest is initiated. This is done using a chain process. In the end, the nuclear reaction itself begins. The parts of the bomb become one whole. The charge begins to exceed the 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 the hydrogen one was called thermonuclear. Therefore, the question of how an atomic bomb differs from a nuclear one is essentially incorrect. This is the same. The difference between a nuclear bomb and a thermonuclear one is not only in the name.

A thermonuclear reaction is not based on a fission reaction, but on the compression of heavy nuclei. A nuclear warhead is a 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 one neutron. Their mass is twice as heavy as hydrogen;
Tritium is made up of one proton and two neutrons. They are three times heavier than hydrogen.

Thermonuclear bomb tests

After the end of World War II, the race between America and the USSR began 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 she could not have large sizes... 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 rocket that could even be transported on a regular Tu-16 aircraft. Then everyone understood the difference between a nuclear bomb and a hydrogen one.

For example, the first American thermonuclear warhead was as tall as a three-story building. It could not be delivered by small transport. But then, according to the developments of the USSR, the dimensions were reduced. When analyzed, it can be concluded that this terrible destruction was not all 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 missile, all of Japan would be completely destroyed with just one warhead.

A nuclear bomb with too strong a charge may explode unintentionally. A chain reaction will start and an explosion will occur. Considering the difference 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 most powerful hydrogen warhead in the world to be made and thus come close to winning the race. He found 100 megatons optimal. Soviet scientists did their best and they managed to invest in 50 megatons. Trials began on the island New earth where there was a military training ground. Until now, Tsar Bomba is called the largest charge exploded on the planet.

The explosion took place in 1961. Within a radius of several hundred kilometers from the landfill, a hasty evacuation of people took place, since the 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 polygon remained a "blank slate", all the hills disappeared on it. 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 runic bomb destroyer in Japan was only visible in cities. But from a hydrogen rocket, it rose 5 kilometers in diameter. A mushroom of dust, radiation and soot has grown 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

The difference atomic bomb from thermonuclear we have already examined. Now imagine what the consequences of the explosion would be if the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki were hydrogen with a thematic equivalent. There would be no trace of Japan.

According to the results of the tests, scientists have made a conclusion about the consequences of a thermonuclear bomb. Some people think that a hydrogen warhead is cleaner, that is, not actually radioactive. This is due to the fact that people hear the name "water" and underestimate its dire impact on the environment.

As we have already figured out, a hydrogen warhead is based on a huge amount of radioactive substances. A rocket without a uranium charge can be made, but so far this has not been applied in practice. The process itself will be very complex and costly. Therefore, the fusion reaction is diluted with uranium and a huge explosion 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. Anything that falls within its radius of action is destroyed. Scorched earth can be uninhabited for decades. On a vast territory, absolutely nothing will grow. And knowing the strength of the charge, according to a certain formula, you can theoretically calculate the infected area.

Also worth mentioning about such an effect as nuclear winter. This concept is even worse than destroyed cities and hundreds of thousands of human lives. Not only will the dump site be destroyed, but virtually the entire world. At first, only one territory will lose its inhabited status. But a release of a radioactive substance will occur 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. Such an effect will provoke hunger on Earth. The population will immediately decrease by several times. And the nuclear winter looks more than real. Indeed, in the history of mankind, and more specifically, in 1816, a similar case was known after a powerful volcanic eruption. The planet was then a year without summer.

Skeptics who do not believe in such a combination of circumstances can convince themselves with the calculations of scientists:

When a temperature drop occurs on Earth by a degree, no one will notice. But this will affect the amount of precipitation.
In autumn there will be a cold snap of 4 degrees. Due to the lack of rain, crop failures are possible. Hurricanes will start even where they have never been.
When temperatures drop a few more degrees, the planet will have 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 become destructive for the planet. Crop failures and extinction of people living in the northern zones will be observed on Earth.
After the ice age will come. Reflection sun rays will happen before reaching the surface of the earth. Due to this, the air temperature will reach a critical level. Cultures and trees will stop growing on the planet, water will freeze. This will lead to the extinction of most of the population.
Those who survive will not survive the last period - an irreversible cold snap. This option is quite sad. He will be the real end of humanity. The earth will turn into a new planet, unsuitable for the habitation of a human being.

Now about one more danger. It cost Russia and the United States to get out of the stage cold war how 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 a nuclear conflict. He talks about the hydrogen bomb all the time and notes that there are already warheads in his part of the country. Fortunately, no one has seen them live yet. Russia, America, as well as closest neighbors - South Korea and Japan are very concerned about even such hypothetical claims. Therefore, we hope that North Korea's know-how and technologies will remain at an insufficient level for a long time to destroy the whole world.

For reference. Dozens of bombs lie at the bottom of the world's oceans, which 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 tolerated 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 themselves, no people, or nothing at all on the planet, the Earth will turn into a blank slate. And if we consider how a nuclear bomb differs from a thermonuclear one, the main point can be called the number of destruction, as well as the subsequent effect.

Now a little conclusion. We figured out that a nuclear and an atomic bomb are one and the same. And also, it is the basis for a thermonuclear warhead. But using neither one nor the other is not recommended, even for testing. The sound from the explosion and what the consequences look like are not the worst. It threatens nuclear winter, death of hundreds of thousands of inhabitants at one moment and numerous consequences for humanity. Although there are differences between charges such as atomic and nuclear bombs, the action of both is destructive to all living things.

How Soviet physicists made a hydrogen bomb, what pluses and minuses this terrible weapon carried, read in the heading "History of Science".

After the Second World War, it was still impossible to talk about the actual offensive of peace - the two major world powers entered the arms race. One of the facets of this conflict was the confrontation between the USSR and the United States in the creation of nuclear weapons. In 1945, the United States, the first to tacitly enter the race, dropped nuclear bombs sadly famous cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the Soviet Union, work was also carried out on the creation of nuclear weapons, and in 1949 they tested the first atomic bomb, the working substance of which was plutonium. Even during its development, Soviet intelligence found out that the United States switched to developing a more powerful bomb. This prompted the USSR to start manufacturing thermonuclear weapons.

The scouts were unable to find out what results the Americans achieved, and the attempts of the Soviet nuclear scientists were unsuccessful. Therefore, it was decided to create a bomb, the explosion of which would occur due to the fusion of light nuclei, and not the fission of heavy ones, as in an atomic bomb. In the spring of 1950, work began on the creation of a bomb, later called RDS-6s. Among its developers was the future laureate Nobel Prize world Andrei Sakharov, who proposed the idea of the design of the charge back in 1948, but later opposed nuclear tests.

Andrey Sakharov

Vladimir Fedorenko / Wikimedia Commons

Sakharov proposed to cover the plutonium core with several layers of light and heavy elements, namely uranium and deuterium, an isotope of hydrogen. Subsequently, however, it was proposed to replace deuterium with lithium deuteride - this greatly simplified the design of the charge and its operation. An additional advantage was that lithium, after bombardment with neutrons, produces another isotope of hydrogen - tritium. By reacting with deuterium, tritium releases much more energy. In addition, lithium also slows down neutrons better. This structure of the bomb gave her the nickname "Sloika".

A certain difficulty was that the thickness of each layer and their final number were also very important for a successful test. According to calculations, from 15% to 20% of the energy release during the explosion was due to thermonuclear reactions, and another 75-80% - to the fission of the nuclei of uranium-235, uranium-238 and plutonium-239. It was also assumed that the charge power would be from 200 to 400 kilotons, the practical result turned out to be upper bound forecasts.

On Day X, August 12, 1953, the first Soviet hydrogen bomb was tested in action. The Semipalatinsk test site, where the explosion took place, was located in the East Kazakhstan region. The test of the RDS-6s was preceded by an attempt in 1949 (then a ground bomb explosion with a capacity of 22.4 kilotons was carried out at the test site). Despite the isolated position of the test site, the population of the region experienced the beauty of nuclear tests. People who lived relatively close to the landfill for decades, until the closure of the landfill in 1991, were exposed to radiation, and territories many kilometers from the landfill were contaminated with nuclear decay products.

The first Soviet hydrogen bomb RDS-6s

Wikimedia Commons

A week before the test of the RDS-6s, according to eyewitnesses, the military gave money and food to the families of those living near the test site, but no evacuation or information about the upcoming events followed. The radioactive soil from the landfill itself was taken away, and the nearest structures and observation posts were restored. It was decided to detonate a hydrogen bomb on the surface of the earth, despite the fact that the configuration made it possible to drop it from an aircraft.

Previous tests of atomic charges were strikingly different from what nuclear scientists recorded after testing Sakharov's puff. The energy output of the bomb, which critics call not a thermonuclear bomb, but a thermonuclear-enhanced atomic bomb, was 20 times greater than that of previous charges. It was noticeable with the naked eye in sunglasses: from the surviving and restored buildings after the test of the hydrogen bomb, only dust was left.

There are many different political clubs in the world. The G-7, now the G-20, BRICS, SCO, NATO, the European Union, to some extent. However, none of these clubs can boast of a unique function - the ability to destroy the world as we know it. The "nuclear club" has similar capabilities.

Today there are 9 countries with nuclear weapons:

Russia;
United Kingdom;
France;
India
Pakistan;
Israel;
DPRK.

Countries are lined up as they have nuclear weapons in their arsenal. If the list were built by the number of warheads, then Russia would be in first place with its 8,000 units, 1,600 of which can be launched even now. The United States lags behind by only 700 units, but they have 320 more charges “at hand.” “The nuclear club” is a purely conditional concept, there is actually no club. There are a number of agreements between the countries on the non-proliferation and reduction of nuclear weapons stockpiles.

The first tests of the atomic bomb, as you know, were made by the United States back in 1945. This weapon was tested in the "field" conditions of the Second World War on the inhabitants of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They operate on the principle of division. During the explosion, a chain reaction is triggered, which provokes the fission of nuclei in two, with a concomitant release of energy. Uranium and plutonium are mainly used for this reaction. These elements are associated with our ideas about what nuclear bombs are made of. Since in nature uranium occurs only in the form of a mixture of three isotopes, of which only one is capable of supporting such a reaction, it is necessary to enrich uranium. An alternative is plutonium-239, which does not occur naturally and must be produced from uranium.

If a fission reaction takes place in a uranium bomb, then in a hydrogen fusion reaction - this is the essence of how a hydrogen bomb differs from an atomic one. We all know that the sun gives us light, warmth, and we can say life. The same processes that take place in the sun can easily destroy cities and countries. The explosion of a hydrogen bomb is born of the reaction of fusion of light nuclei, the so-called thermonuclear fusion. This "miracle" is possible thanks to the isotopes of hydrogen - deuterium and tritium. That is why the bomb is called hydrogen. You can also see the name "thermonuclear bomb", from the reaction that underlies this weapon.

After the world has seen destructive force nuclear weapons, in August 1945, the USSR began a race that lasted until the moment of its collapse. The United States was the first to create, test and use nuclear weapons, the first to detonate a hydrogen bomb, but the USSR can be credited with the first production of a compact hydrogen bomb that can be delivered to the enemy on a conventional Tu-16. The first US bomb was the size of a three-story building, and a hydrogen bomb of this size is of little use. The Soviets received such weapons already in 1952, while the first "adequate" US bomb was adopted only in 1954. If you look back and analyze the explosions in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, you can come to the conclusion that they were not so powerful ... In total, two bombs destroyed both cities and, according to various estimates, killed up to 220,000 people. The carpet bombing of Tokyo could kill 150-200,000 people a day without any nuclear weapons. This is due to the low power of the first bombs - only a few tens of kilotons in TNT equivalent. Hydrogen bombs were tested with an eye on overcoming 1 megaton or more.

The first Soviet bomb was tested with a claim for 3 Mt, but eventually 1.6 Mt were tested.

The most powerful hydrogen bomb was tested by the Soviets in 1961. Its capacity reached 58-75 Mt, while the declared 51 Mt. "Tsar" threw the world into a slight shock, literally. The shockwave circled the planet three times. Not a single hill remained at the test site (Novaya Zemlya), the explosion was heard at a distance of 800 km. The fireball reached a diameter of almost 5 km, the "mushroom" grew by 67 km, and the diameter of its cap was almost 100 km. The consequences of such an explosion in big city hard to imagine. According to many experts, it was the test of a hydrogen bomb of this power (the States had at that time four times less bombs in force) that was the first step towards the signing of various treaties to ban nuclear weapons, test them and reduce production. For the first time, the world began to think about its own security, which was really under threat.

As mentioned earlier, the principle of operation of a hydrogen bomb is based on a fusion reaction. Thermonuclear fusion is the process of fusion of two nuclei into one, with the formation of the third element, the release of the fourth and energy. The forces repelling nuclei are colossal, so for the atoms to get close enough to merge, the temperature must be enormous. Scientists have been racking their brains for centuries over cold thermonuclear fusion, so to speak, trying to drop the fusion temperature to room temperature, ideally. In this case, humanity will have access to the energy of the future. As for a thermonuclear reaction at the present time, to start it, you still need to ignite a miniature sun here on Earth - usually a uranium or plutonium charge is used in bombs to start fusion.

In addition to the consequences described above from the use of a bomb of tens of megatons, the hydrogen bomb, like any nuclear weapon, has a number of consequences from its use. Some people tend to think that the hydrogen bomb is a "cleaner weapon" than a conventional bomb. Perhaps this is due to the name. People hear the word "water" and think that it has something to do with water and hydrogen, and therefore the consequences are not so dire. In fact, this is certainly not the case, because the action of a hydrogen bomb is based on extremely radioactive substances. It is theoretically possible to make a bomb without a uranium charge, but this is impractical due to the complexity of the process, so a pure fusion reaction is “diluted” with uranium to increase power. At the same time, the amount of radioactive fallout grows up to 1000%. Everything that falls into the fireball will be destroyed, the zone within the radius of destruction will become uninhabited for people for decades. Radioactive fallout can harm the health of people hundreds and thousands of kilometers away. Specific figures, the area of infection can be calculated, knowing the strength of the charge.

However, the destruction of cities is not the worst thing that can happen "thanks to" weapons of mass destruction. After a nuclear war, the world will not be completely destroyed. Thousands of large cities, billions of people will remain on the planet, and only a small percentage of territories will lose their status of “fit for life”. In the long term, the whole world will be threatened by the so-called "nuclear winter". Undermining the nuclear arsenal of the "club" can provoke the release into the atmosphere of a sufficient amount of matter (dust, soot, smoke) to "reduce" the brightness of the sun. The shroud, which can spread across the planet, will destroy crops for several years in advance, provoking hunger and inevitable population decline. There has already been a “year without summer” in history, after a major volcanic eruption in 1816, so a nuclear winter looks more than real. Again, depending on how the war proceeds, we can get the following types global change climate:

cooling by 1 degree, will pass imperceptibly;
nuclear autumn - cooling by 2-4 degrees, crop failures and increased formation of hurricanes are possible;
analogue of "a year without summer" - when the temperature dropped significantly, by several degrees for a year;
small ice age - the temperature can drop by 30 - 40 degrees for a considerable time, will be accompanied by depopulation of a number of northern zones and crop failures;
ice age - the development of small ice age when the reflection of sunlight from the surface can reach a certain critical point and the temperature continues to fall, the difference is only in temperature;
irreversible cooling is a very sad version of the ice age, which, under the influence of many factors, will turn the Earth into a new planet.

The nuclear winter theory is under constant criticism and its implications seem a bit overblown. However, there is no need to doubt its inevitable offensive in any global conflict with the use of hydrogen bombs.

The Cold War is long gone, and therefore nuclear hysteria can only be seen in old Hollywood films and on the covers of rare magazines and comics. Despite this, we may be on the verge of, albeit not a large, but serious nuclear conflict. All this thanks to the lover of missiles and the hero of the fight against the imperialist manners of the United States - Kim Jong-un. The DPRK hydrogen bomb is still a hypothetical object, only circumstantial evidence speaks of its existence. Of course, the North Korean government constantly reports that they have managed to make new bombs, so far no one has seen them live. Naturally, the States and their allies - Japan and South Korea, are a little more concerned about the presence, even hypothetical, of such weapons in the DPRK. The reality is that at the moment the DPRK does not have enough technology to successfully attack the United States, which they announce to the whole world every year. Even an attack on neighboring Japan or the South may not be very successful, if at all, but every year the danger of a new conflict on the Korean peninsula grows.