answersLogoWhite

0


Best Answer

The standard hydrogen bomb is a Teller-Ulam design which utilizes a Fission-Fusion-Fission sequence.

The primary is a fission device, likely boosted with tritium, not too different from the Fat Man implosion bomb used over Nagasaki; although it is much more efficient. The minimum critical mass for Pu-239 is about 25 pounds (11kg).

The secondary is a fusion-fission device, utilizing the x-ray radiation from the primary to compress & heat a light element. At the center of this is a hollow tube of Pu-239. As the secondary compresses, the Pu-239 tube (aka "spark plug") compresses as well and achieves criticality giving a fission reaction. This may require another 25 pounds (~11kg) of Pu-239.

So a rough estimate is about 50lbs (~22kg) for both fission processes. However, there are ways to create a super-critical mass using less material through the use of neutron reflectors, tritium boosting, neutron-initiators and other methods that are not common knowledge.

Nations that possess nuclear weapons don't give precise details for reasons of national security, so an exact answer to your question would require a security clearance of some sort, and a need to know.

So the best answer to your question is not much more than 50 pounds, or 11kg per weapon, probably a lot less.

User Avatar

Skylar Hagenes

Lvl 13
2y ago
This answer is:
User Avatar

Add your answer:

Earn +20 pts
Q: How much plutonium is in a hydrogen bomb?
Write your answer...
Submit
Still have questions?
magnify glass
imp
Related questions

Is hydrogen converted into plutonium in a hydrogen bomb?

No.


What elements are in the atomic bomb?

Uranium plutonium and hydrogen


What is a uranium bomb?

A uranium bomb is an atomic bomb fueled by uranium-235A plutonium bomb is an atomic bomb fueled by plutonium-239A composite bomb is an atomic bomb fueled by both uranium-235 and plutonium-239A wet bomb is a hydrogen bomb fueled by liquefied deuterium/tritiumA dry bomb is a hydrogen bomb fueled by solid lithium deuteride


Is the nuclear bomb the best bomb?

No, in terms of destruction the hydrogen bomb is the strongest, but if you mean killing the plutonium bomb is the one that does the most killing.


When was the hydrogen bomb dropped?

A hydrogen bomb was not dropped on Japan. It was dropped years later as a test and to determine how it acted in comparison to the plutonium and uranium bombs.


How much plutonium was USED in little boy?

The Little Boy bomb had not plutonium.


How much TNT is in a Plutonium Bomb?

Nuclear weapons with plutonium don't contain TNT.


What is the name of a artificial atomic element discovered after the first hydrogen bomb explosion in 1953?

Plutonium


How do you make a atomic bomb on Doodle God?

plutonium + weapon


How much plutonium is in the second atomic bomb?

Nagasaki (Japan) - 9 August 1945 - a bomb containing 6,4 kg of Plutonium 239


Was the 'Able' bomb at Bikini plutonium?

Yes, a bomb with plutonium.


What is the difference between nuclear bomb and plutonium bomb?

A nuclear bomb is any bomb with any nuclear or atomic material inside it, while a plutonium bomb is a specific type of nuclear bomb. Plutonium could be the nuclear material inside the bomb, and if it is, it's a plutonium bomb.