Atomic bomb

Fissile bomb: U-235: enrichment of natural uranium (gun method) Pu-239: synthesis in nuclear reactors from U-238 by nuclear reactions (implosion method) U-233: distant possibility, can be prepared from Th-232 in a nuclear reactor largest first-generation bomb: USA Ivy King 500 kt

History of the atomic bomb

6 January 1939: First publications of fission reaction 2 August 1939: Albert Einsteins letter to president Roosevelt 2 December 1942: first atomic reactor, Enrico Fermi and Le Szilrd 16 July 1945: first atomic bomb, New Mexico 6 and 9 August 1945: explosions in Japan

Hiroshima: 6 August 1945

Enola Gay and Little boy (13kt)

Hiroshima: after explosion

Nagasaki: 9 August 1945

Fat man (21kt)

Nuclear fusion: build-up of nuclei from lighter nuclei

1H 1H

Hydrogen bomb
+ 1H 2H + e + 2H 3He + 3He 4He + 2 1H + 1H 4He + e
4He

thermonuclear weapon Three phase: 1. implosion weapon 2. 2D/3T fusion 3. U-238 fission 1951 USA: Edward Teller and Stanislaw Ulam 1955 Soviet Union: Andrei Sakharov

3He 3He

overall: Importance:

1H

+2

energy producing processes in stars much more efficient nuclear weapons (hydrogen bomb) not suitable for energy production at present (TOKAMAK, no nuclear waste produced)

Tsar bomb
largest bomb ever made original plan: 100 Mt actual power: 50 Mt

Tsar bomb

length: 8 m, diameter: 2 m, mass: 27 t inconveniently large for use in war

history background: first Berlin Wall in August 1961 Tu-95: largest Soviet bomber in 1961

Tsar bomb
mushroom Cloud: height: 60 km width: 30-40 km fireball:

Scotlands secret bunker

bunker for political leaders in South Scotland

3 m thick concrete wall one of the largest bunkers in the UK capacity: 300 people large communication center

test: 30 October 1961, Novaya Zemlya

Scotlands secret bunker

150 m long entrance tunnel, disguised as a simple farmhouse on the surface

LIVING WITH RADIOACTIVITY

Ionizing effect 'ionizing radiation' 1. Detection of radiation: Geiger counters or scintillation counters 2. Radioactivity is natural: it is always around as background radiation at low levels 3. Biological effects: direct damage to living tissue, increased risk of cancer depends very much on the dose (amount) of radiation

Measuring Radiation
Time

Radiation Biological effects

Dose 200 rad day 1 week 1-3 500 rad 1000 rad

Unit Becquerel (Bq) Curie (Ci) Gray (Gy) Rad Sievert (Sv) Rem

quantity decay events (SI) decay events absorbed energy (SI) absorbed energy tissue damage (SI) tissue damage

description 1 decay/s = 3.7 1010 Bq 1 J/kg = 0.01 Gy = q Gy = 0.01 Sv

nausea, vomitting, decrease in white blood cell numbers lack of appetite, weakness, diarrhoea, paleness, bolding lack of appetite, weakness, diarrhoea, paleness, bolding, 50% probability of death nausea, vomitting, diarrhoea, fever, dehydration, body weight loss, death

after 4 beginning of weeks recovery, genetic damage (heritable)

q: dimensionless constant depending on the type of radiation

Applications of radioactive isotopes

1. Dating 2. Medical diagnostics:
99mTc 99mTc

99Ru 99Tc

(t1/2 = 105 v) (t1/2 = 6 ra)

( 66 h ) n 98 m 99 Mo 9943Tc 42 Mo 42
3. Radiation therapy: external internal

4. Isotope tracing: Hevesy Gyrgy - George von Hevesy Nobel prize: 1943