Everyone has already discussed one of the most unpleasant news of December - successful tests North Korea th hydrogen bomb... Kim Jong-un did not fail to hint (directly declare) that he was ready at any moment to turn weapons from defensive to offensive, which caused an unprecedented excitement in the press around the world. However, there were also optimists who announced the falsification of the tests: they say, the shadow of the Juche falls in the wrong direction, and something is not visible to the radioactive fallout. But why is the presence of a hydrogen bomb in an aggressor country such a significant factor for free countries, because even the nuclear warheads, which North Korea has in abundance, have not frightened anyone so much?
The hydrogen bomb, also known as the Hydrogen Bomb or HB, is a weapon of incredible destructive force, whose capacity is calculated in megatons in TNT equivalent. The principle of operation of HB is based on the energy that is generated during the thermonuclear fusion of hydrogen nuclei - exactly the same process occurs on the Sun.
How a hydrogen bomb differs from an atomic bomb
Thermonuclear fusion - the process that occurs during the detonation of a hydrogen bomb - is the most powerful type of energy available to mankind. We have not yet learned how to use it for peaceful purposes, but we have adapted it to the military. This thermonuclear reaction, similar to that seen in stars, releases an incredible stream of energy. In atomic energy is obtained from fission atomic nucleus, so the explosion of an atomic bomb is much weaker.
First test
AND Soviet Union again ahead of many participants in the Cold War race. The first hydrogen bomb, made under the guidance of the genius Sakharov, was tested at the secret training ground in Semipalatinsk - and, to put it mildly, they impressed not only scientists, but also Western spies.
Shock wave
The direct destructive effect of a hydrogen bomb is the strongest, high-intensity shock wave. Its power depends on the size of the bomb itself and the height at which the charge detonated.
Heat effect
A hydrogen bomb of only 20 megatons (the size of the largest bomb tested so far is 58 megatons) creates a huge amount of thermal energy: concrete melted within a radius of five kilometers from the test site of the projectile. In a nine-kilometer radius, all living things will be destroyed, neither equipment nor buildings will stand. The diameter of the crater formed by the explosion will exceed two kilometers, and its depth will fluctuate about fifty meters.
Fire ball
The most spectacular after the explosion will seem to observers a huge fireball: the blazing storms initiated by the detonation of a hydrogen bomb will support themselves, drawing more and more combustible material into the funnel.
Radiation contamination
But the most dangerous consequence explosion will, of course, radiation contamination. The decay of heavy elements in a raging vortex of fire will fill the atmosphere with the smallest particles of radioactive dust - it is so light that it can go around Earth two or three times and only then will it fall out in the form of precipitation. Thus, one bomb explosion of 100 megatons could have consequences for the entire planet.
Tsar bomb
58 megatons - this is how much the largest hydrogen bomb detonated at the Novaya Zemlya test site weighed. The shock wave circled the globe three times, forcing the opponents of the USSR once again to believe in the enormous destructive power of this weapon. Veselchak Khrushchev joked at the plenum that the bomb was no longer made only for fear of breaking the windows in the Kremlin.
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.
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 global community realized that a nuclear or hydrogen bomb is more powerful. Destructive force atomic weapons began to involve each of the parties. 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 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. Tests began on the island of Novaya Zemlya, 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
We have already examined the difference between an atomic bomb and a thermonuclear one. 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 number 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 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 on Earth will happen cooling 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 a small glacial period... 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. The 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. 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 new planet, unsuitable for the habitation of a human being.
Now about one more danger. As soon as Russia and the United States emerged from the Cold War stage, new threat... 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 of 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 the closest neighbors - South Korea and Japan, are very concerned about even such hypothetical statements. 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 clear sheet... 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. This threatens a nuclear winter, the death of hundreds of thousands of residents 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.
The content of the article
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 (H 2 O) have shown that it contains an insignificant amount of "heavy" water containing a "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 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 obtained artificially in nuclear reactor irradiating the isotope of lithium-6 with a neutron flux.
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, the hydrogen bomb (HB) project was launched. 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 4 e 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 (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 boat "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) 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 large quantity hydrogen. 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 almost 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. Thermal impact the explosion is determined by the same factors, but, in addition, depends on the transparency of the air - the fog dramatically reduces the distance at which a heat 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) hide 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) ended up on 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 who are on open area, the probability of surviving rapidly increases 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 that occurs during the explosion causes a lethal outcome 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 huge amount 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 falls into food chains including the person. 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 territory within a radius of approx. 100 km from the epicenter of the explosion. When a superbomb explodes, an area of tens of thousands will be contaminated square kilometers... 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 super bombs are enough to completely cover large country 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.
The hydrogen, or thermonuclear bomb has become cornerstone arms race between the USA and the USSR. For several years, the two superpowers argued over who would become the first owner of a new type of destructive weapon.
Thermonuclear weapons project
At the beginning of the Cold War, the test of the hydrogen bomb was the most important argument for the leadership of the USSR in the fight against the United States. Moscow wanted to achieve nuclear parity with Washington and invested huge sums in the arms race. However, work on the creation of a hydrogen bomb began not thanks to generous funding, but because of reports from undercover agents in America. In 1945, the Kremlin learned that in USA goes preparation for the creation of new weapons. It was a superbomb, the project of which was named Super.
The source of valuable information was Klaus Fuchs, an employee of the US Los Alamos National Laboratory. He conveyed to the Soviet Union specific information that related to the secret American development of a superbomb. By 1950, the Super project was thrown into the trash, as it became clear to Western scientists that such a scheme for a new weapon could not be implemented. Edward Teller was the head of this program.
In 1946, Klaus Fuchs and John developed the Super project ideas and patented own system... Fundamentally new in it was the principle of radioactive implosion. In the USSR, this scheme began to be considered a little later - in 1948. In general, we can say that at the initial stage it was completely based on American information obtained by intelligence. But, continuing research already on the basis of these materials, Soviet scientists were noticeably ahead of their Western colleagues, which allowed the USSR to obtain first the first and then the most powerful thermonuclear bomb.
On December 17, 1945, at a meeting of a special committee created under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, nuclear physicists Yakov Zeldovich, Isaak Pomeranchuk and Yuliy Khartion made a presentation on "The Use of Nuclear Energy of Light Elements." This document considered the possibility of using a bomb with deuterium. This speech was the beginning of the Soviet nuclear program.
In 1946 theoretical research The hoist was carried out at the Institute of Chemical Physics. The first results of this work were discussed at one of the meetings of the Scientific and Technical Council in the First Main Directorate. Two years later, Lavrenty Beria instructed Kurchatov and Khariton to analyze materials about the von Neumann system, which were delivered to the Soviet Union thanks to secret agents in the west. The data from these documents gave an additional impetus to the research, thanks to which the RDS-6 project was born.
Eevee Mike and Castle Bravo
On November 1, 1952, the Americans tested the world's first thermonuclear.This was not yet a bomb, but already its most important component... The detonation took place on Enivotek Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean. and Stanislav Ulam (each of them is actually the creator of the hydrogen bomb) shortly before that developed a two-stage design, which the Americans tried out. The device could not be used as a weapon, as it was produced using deuterium. In addition, it was distinguished by its enormous weight and dimensions. Such a projectile simply could not be dropped from an airplane.
The test of the first hydrogen bomb was carried out by Soviet scientists. After the United States learned about the successful use of the RDS-6s, it became clear that it was necessary to close the gap with the Russians in the arms race as soon as possible. The American test took place on March 1, 1954. Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was chosen as a testing ground. The Pacific archipelagos were not chosen by chance. There was almost no population here (and the few people who lived on the nearby islands were evicted on the eve of the experiment).
The most devastating American hydrogen bomb explosion became known as Castle Bravo. The charge power turned out to be 2.5 times higher than the expected one. The explosion led to radiation contamination large area (many islands and The Pacific), which led to a scandal and a revision of the nuclear program.
Development of RDS-6s
The project of the first Soviet thermonuclear bomb was named RDS-6s. The plan was written by the outstanding physicist Andrei Sakharov. In 1950, the Council of Ministers of the USSR decided to concentrate work on the creation of a new weapon in KB-11. According to this decision, a group of scientists led by Igor Tamm went to the closed Arzamas-16.
The Semipalatinsk test site was specially prepared for this ambitious project. Before the test of the hydrogen bomb began, numerous measuring, filming and recording instruments were installed there. In addition, almost two thousand indicators appeared there on behalf of scientists. The area affected by the hydrogen bomb test included 190 structures.
The Semipalatinsk experiment was unique not only because of the new type of weapon. We used unique intakes designed for chemical and radioactive samples. They could only be opened by a powerful shock wave. Recording and filming devices were installed in specially prepared fortified structures on the surface and in underground bunkers.
Alarm Clock
Back in 1946, Edward Teller, who was working in the United States, developed the RDS-6s prototype. It was named Alarm Clock. Initially, the design of this device was proposed as an alternative to the Super. In April 1947, a series of experiments began at the Los Alamos laboratory, designed to investigate the nature of thermonuclear principles.
Scientists expected the greatest energy release from Alarm Clock. In the fall, Teller decided to use lithium deuteride as fuel for the device. Researchers had not yet used this substance, but expected that it would increase its effectiveness. Interestingly, Teller already noted in his service notes dependence of the nuclear program on further development computers. Scientists needed this technique for more accurate and complex calculations.
Alarm Clock and RDS-6s had a lot in common, but also differed in many ways. The American version was not as practical as the Soviet one because of its size. Big sizes he inherited from the Super project. In the end, the Americans had to abandon this development. Recent Research passed in 1954, after which it became clear that the project was unprofitable.
The explosion of the first thermonuclear bomb
First in human history the test of the hydrogen bomb took place on August 12, 1953. In the morning, a brightest flash appeared on the horizon, which blinded even through goggles. The RDS-6s explosion turned out to be 20 times more powerful than an atomic bomb. The experiment was found to be successful. Scientists were able to achieve important technological breakthrough... For the first time, lithium hydride was used as a fuel. Within a radius of 4 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, the wave destroyed all buildings.
Subsequent tests of the hydrogen bomb in the USSR were based on the experience obtained using the RDS-6s. These devastating weapons were not only the most powerful. An important advantage of the bomb was its compactness. The projectile was placed in a Tu-16 bomber. The success allowed Soviet scientists to outstrip the Americans. In the United States at this time there was a thermonuclear device the size of a house. It was not transportable.
When Moscow announced that the USSR's hydrogen bomb was ready, Washington disputed this information. The main argument of the Americans was the fact that the thermonuclear bomb should be made according to the Teller-Ulam scheme. It was based on the principle of radiation implosion. This project will be implemented in the USSR in two years, in 1955.
Physicist Andrey Sakharov made the greatest contribution to the creation of RDS-6s. The hydrogen bomb was his brainchild - it was he who proposed the revolutionary technical solutions, which made it possible to successfully complete the tests at the Semipalatinsk test site. Young Sakharov immediately became an academician in the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Hero of Socialist Labor and laureate Stalin Prize... Other scientists also received awards and medals: Yuliy Khariton, Kirill Shchelkin, Yakov Zeldovich, Nikolai Dukhov, etc. In 1953, the test of the hydrogen bomb showed that Soviet science could overcome what until recently seemed to be fiction and fantasy. Therefore, immediately after the successful explosion of the RDS-6s, the development of even more powerful shells began.
RDS-37
On November 20, 1955, the next tests of the hydrogen bomb took place in the USSR. This time it was two-stage and corresponded to the Teller-Ulam scheme. The RDS-37 bomb was going to be dropped from the plane. However, when he took to the air, it became clear that tests would have to be carried out in an emergency. Contrary to forecasters' forecasts, the weather has noticeably deteriorated, due to which dense clouds covered the landfill.
For the first time, specialists were forced to land a plane with a thermonuclear bomb on board. For some time there was a discussion at the Central Command Post about what to do next. A proposal to drop a bomb in the mountains nearby was considered, but this option was rejected as too risky. Meanwhile, the plane continued to circle near the landfill, producing fuel.
Zeldovich and Sakharov received the decisive word. A hydrogen bomb that exploded outside the range would have led to disaster. Scientists understood the full extent of the risk and their own responsibility, and yet they gave written confirmation that the plane would be safe to land. Finally, the commander of the Tu-16 crew, Fyodor Golovashko, received the command to land. The landing was very smooth. The pilots showed all their skills and did not panic in critical situation... The maneuver was perfect. The Central Command Post breathed a sigh of relief.
The creator of the hydrogen bomb, Sakharov, and his team have suffered the tests. The second attempt was scheduled for November 22. On this day, everything went without extraordinary situations. The bomb was dropped from a height of 12 kilometers. While the projectile was falling, the plane managed to retire to a safe distance from the epicenter of the explosion. In a few minutes, the mushroom cloud reached a height of 14 kilometers, and its diameter was 30 kilometers.
The explosion was not without tragic accidents. From shock wave at a distance of 200 kilometers, glass was broken, as a result of which several people were injured. Also, a girl who lived in a neighboring village died, on which the ceiling collapsed. Another victim was a soldier in a special waiting area. The soldier fell asleep in the dugout, and he died of suffocation before his comrades could pull him out.
Development of "Tsar Bomba"
In 1954, the best nuclear physicists of the country, under the leadership, began to develop the most powerful thermonuclear bomb in the history of mankind. Andrei Sakharov, Viktor Adamsky, Yuri Babaev, Yuri Smirnov, Yuri Trutnev, etc. also took part in this project. Due to its power and size, the bomb became known as the Tsar Bomba. The project participants later recalled that this phrase appeared after famous saying Khrushchev on "Kuzkina's mother" at the UN. Officially, the project was called AN602.
Over the seven years of development, the bomb has gone through several reincarnations. At first, scientists planned to use components from uranium and the Jekyll-Hyde reaction, but later this idea had to be abandoned due to the danger of radioactive contamination.
Test on Novaya Zemlya
For a while, the Tsar Bomba project was frozen, since Khrushchev was going to the United States, and in cold war there was a short pause. In 1961, the conflict between the countries flared up again and in Moscow they again remembered about thermonuclear weapons. Khrushchev announced the upcoming tests in October 1961 during the XXII Congress of the CPSU.
On the 30th, the Tu-95V with a bomb on board took off from Olenya and headed for New earth... The plane reached the target for two hours. Another Soviet hydrogen bomb was dropped at an altitude of 10.5 thousand meters above the Sukhoi Nos nuclear test site. The shell exploded while still in the air. A fireball appeared, which reached a diameter of three kilometers and almost touched the ground. According to calculations, scientists seismic wave from the explosion crossed the planet three times. The impact was felt from a thousand kilometers away, and all living things at a distance of one hundred kilometers could receive third-degree burns (this did not happen, since the area was uninhabited).
At that time, the most powerful US thermonuclear bomb was four times inferior in power to the Tsar Bomba. The Soviet leadership was pleased with the result of the experiment. In Moscow, they got what they wanted so much from the next hydrogen bomb. The test showed that the USSR has a weapon far more powerful than that of the United States. In the future, the destructive record of "Tsar Bomba" was never broken. Most powerful explosion the hydrogen bomb became a major milestone in the history of science and the Cold War.
Thermonuclear weapons of other countries
British development of the hydrogen bomb began in 1954. The project leader was William Penney, who was previously a member of the Manhattan Project in the United States. The British possessed scraps of information about the structure of the thermo nuclear weapons... The American allies did not share this information. In Washington, they referred to the Atomic Energy Law passed in 1946. The only exception for the British was permission to monitor the trials. In addition, they used aircraft to collect samples left over from the explosions of American shells.
At first, London decided to limit itself to the creation of a very powerful atomic bomb. This is how the Orange Messenger trials began. During them, the most powerful non-thermonuclear bombs in the history of mankind were dropped. Its disadvantage was that it was too expensive. On November 8, 1957, a hydrogen bomb was tested. The story of the creation of the British two-stage device is an example of successful progress in conditions of lagging behind two arguing superpowers.
In China, the hydrogen bomb appeared in 1967, in France in 1968. Thus, there are five states in the club of countries possessing thermonuclear weapons today. Information about the hydrogen bomb in North Korea remains controversial. The head of the DPRK said that his scientists were able to develop such a projectile. During the tests, seismologists from different countries recorded seismic activity caused by nuclear explosion... But there is still no specific information about the hydrogen bomb in the DPRK.
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 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 \ u200b \ u200bthe 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 power of the charge will be from 200 to 400 kilotons, the practical result was at the upper limit of 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 fission 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, turned out to be 20 times greater than that of previous charges. This was noticeable with the naked eye in sunglasses: only dust remained from the surviving and restored buildings after the test of the hydrogen bomb.
