Bomb, atomic

The rapid fission of a mass of or another heavy nucleus is the principle of the atomic bomb, the energy liberated being the destructive power. For useful energy the reaction has to be moderated this is done in a reactor where moderators such as water, heavy water, graphite, beryllium, etc., reduce the number of neutrons and slow those present to the most useful energies. The heat produced in a reactor is removed by normal heat-exchange methods. The neutrons in a reactor may be used for the formation of new isotopes, e.g. the transuranic elements, further fissile materials ( °Pu from or of the... 

By far the most interesting historical work on the atomic bomb I know of - C. P. Snow... 

One of the most significant sources of change in isotope ratios is caused by the small mass differences between isotopes and their effects on the physical properties of elements and compounds. For example, ordinary water (mostly Ej O) has a lower density, lower boiling point, and higher vapor pressure than does heavy water (mostly H2 0). Other major changes can occur through exchange processes. Such physical and kinetic differences lead to natural local fractionation of isotopes. Artificial fractionation (enrichment or depletion) of uranium isotopes is the basis for construction of atomic bombs, nuclear power reactors, and depleted uranium weapons. 

Many artificial (likely radioactive) isotopes can be created through nuclear reactions. Radioactive isotopes of iodine are used in medicine, while isotopes of plutonium are used in making atomic bombs. In many analytical applications, the ratio of occurrence of the isotopes is important. For example, it may be important to know the exact ratio of the abundances (relative amounts) of the isotopes 1, 2, and 3 in hydrogen. Such knowledge can be obtained through a mass spectrometric measurement of the isotope abundance ratio. 

Another impetus to expansion of this field was the advent of World War 11 and the development of the atomic bomb. The desired isotope of uranium, in the form of UF was prepared by a gaseous diffusion separation process of the mixed isotopes (see Fluorine). UF is extremely reactive and required contact with inert organic materials as process seals and greases. The wartime Manhattan Project successfully developed a family of stable materials for UF service. These early materials later evolved into the current fluorochemical and fluoropolymer materials industry. A detailed description of the fluorine research performed on the Manhattan Project has been pubUshed (2). 

S. Groueff, Manhattan Project The Untold Story of the Making of the Atomic Bomb, Bantam Books, New York, 1967, pp. 211—219. 

The First Reactor. When word about the discovery of fission in Germany reached the United States, researchers thereafter found that (/) the principal uranium isotope involved was uranium-235 (2) slow neutrons were very effective in causing fission (J) several fast neutrons were released and (4) a large energy release occurred. The possibiUty of an atom bomb of enormous destmctive power was visualized. 

The determination of critical si2e or mass of nuclear fuel is important for safety reasons. In the design of the atom bombs at Los Alamos, it was cmcial to know the critical mass, ie, that amount of highly enriched uranium or plutonium that would permit a chain reaction. A variety of assembhes were constmcted. Eor example, a bare metal sphere was found to have a critical mass of approximately 50 kg, whereas a natural uranium reflected 235u sphere had a critical mass of only 16 kg. 

Most of the data on radiation health effects have come from medical monitoring of Japanese atomic bomb survivors. For survivors who received radiation exposures up to 0.10 Sv, the iacidence of cancer is no greater than ia the geaeral populatioa of Japanese citizens. For the approximately 1000 survivors who received the highest radiation doses, ie, >2 Sv, there have been 162 cases of cancer. About 70 cases would have been expected ia that populatioa from aatural causes. Of the approximately 76,000 survivors, as of 1995 there have beea a total of about 6,000 cases of cancer, only about 340 more cases than would be expected ia a group of 76,000 Japanese citizens who received only background radiation exposure (59). 

Polychlorotrifluoroethylene was the first fluorinated polymer to be produced on an experimental scale and polymers were used in Germany and in the United States early in World War II. PCTFE was used, in particular, in connection with the atomic bomb project in the handling of corrosive materials such as uranium hexafluoride. 

In the 1930s, the world s greatest migration of scientists took place under the lash of Nazism. It has sometimes been asserted that Hitler may have lost the War because of the talent he forced to flee, and that the American development of the atomic bomb that shortened the War so drastically might have been much slower without that migration. Other, less cataclysmic, consequences also flowed from the migration, and this Section is devoted to one of them. 

This is a technique developed during World War II for simulating stochastic physical processes, specifically, neutron transport in atomic bomb design. Its name comes from its resemblance to gambling. Each of the random variables in a relationship is represented by a distribution (Section 2.5). A random number generator picks a number from the distribution with a probability proportional to the pdf. After physical weighting the random numbers for each of the stochastic variables, the relationship is calculated to find the value of the independent variable (top event if a fault tree) for this particular combination of dependent variables (e.g.. components). 

There are numerous early scientific works concerning the presence of shock waves and the influence of explosions, impacts, and shock waves on matter. The earliest work, however, did not lead to a delineation of the phenomenon as a distinct scientific enterprise. This distinction rests with a group of visionary scientists assembled at Los Alamos for the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. Having learned the methods and developed the technology to explosively load samples in a precise and reproducible manner, they realized that they had in their hands, for the first time, the ability to study matter in an entirely new range of pressure. After several precursor publications beginning in 1955, the existence of the new scientific field was reported to the world in the classic work by Melvin Rice, John Walsh, and... 

Rhodes, R. (1987). The Making of the Atomic Bomb. New York Simon and Schuster. 

In 1939 Einstein wrote to Roosevelt to draw his attention to possible military use of atomic energy. His influence on these later developments was marginal, however. In 1943 he became consultant to the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ordnance but was never involved in atomic bomb work. In 1944 a copy of his 1905 paper on special relativity, handwritten by him for this purpose, was auctioned for six million dollars as a contribution to the war effort. (It is now in the Library of Congress.)... 

The step from nuclear fission to a nuclear chain reaction and the atomic bomb was, in principle, quite straightfoiward. In practice, however, it consumed more time and money than was ever foreseen. Although it was her basic insight that eventually led to the fission bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Meitner refused to work on the bomb and, for humanitarian reasons, hoped that it would not work. 

World War II was ultimately a contest between economies, and victories were a direct result of effective resource mobilization. The atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 released a tremendous amount of energy in the form of heat and radiation the development of that weapon... 

Two atomic bombs named "Fat Han and "Little Boy." The latter was used to destroy Hiroshima, Japan, during World War II. (Library of Congress)... 

Opinion polls showed that Aunerican anxiety about the atomic bomb ebbed and flowed in response to geopolitical events. Concerns ran high in the late 1940s in the wake of the atomic bombings of Japan... 

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