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What is thermonuclear?

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Anonymous

12y ago
Updated: 8/17/2019

Nuclear reactions initiated by, and/or depending on heat.

As a generic term, thermonuclear is an adjective describing atomic processes involving heat.

This definition is necessarily vague, so in practical terms, the word thermonuclear applies specifically to weapons and power generation.

Thermonuclear weapons use the heat generated in an initial nuclear fission reaction to cause a chain reaction of further fission and fusion reactions, releasing energy.

Thermonuclear fusion is the proposed method for achieving nuclear fusion for power generation. The very high temperature, combined with some form of containment, causes the atomic nuclei to fuse together, releasing energy.

Nuclear fusion requires a minimum level of kinetic energy in each collision before the electrostatic repulsion of nuclei is overcome, permitting them to fuse.

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Wiki User

12y ago

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