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They aren't usually. However there are 3 variant designs of fusion bombs:
- High yield - this is the conventional design using either depleted uranium or natural uranium for the tamper of the fusion stage(s). Over 90% of the yield is produced by fission in the tamper caused by 15 MeV fusion neutrons. As nearly all the yield is fission their fallout is roughly proportional to that of pure fission bombs of the same yield (if pure fission bombs of that yield were possible).
- Clean - this is a reduced fallout design that sacrifices some yield by using inert materials like lead, tungsten, iron, etc. for the tamper of the fusion stage(s). Over 95% of the yield can be produced by fusion. Total fallout would be only a tiny fraction of that of a pure fission bomb of the same yield (if pure fission bombs of that yield were possible).
- Dirty - this is usually referred to as an enhanced fallout bomb instead of a dirty bomb, like the clean design it sacrifices some yield. In these some or all of the uranium tamper would be replaced by materials with large neutron capture crosssections that become "activated" on absorbing a neutron. Some possible materials that have been proposed at various times are cobalt, gold, silver. 95% or more of the yield might be fusion. Total fallout would be much greater than that of a pure fission bomb of the same yield (if pure fission bombs of that yield were possible). Due to their limited military value, no country is known to have built or stockpiled any. The cobalt bomb was a common idea in fiction stories of the 1950s though, to frighten readers.
The term dirty bomb has come to refer mostly to radiological weapons: a conventional explosive enclosed in hot radioisotopes that are dispersed when the explosive detonates. These have severe practicality problems and will likely kill anyone attempting to use them before they could set it up.
What else can I help you with?
Why are thermonuclear bombs more disastrous than the normal bombs?
much higher yield per bomb.
What is the difference between an atomic bomb and a thermonuclear bomb?
They are both general terms. The term "atomic bomb" can mean any nuclear weapon, either a fission weapon or a fusion weapon (the so-called hydrogen bomb). The term thermonuclear bomb is also used in general, but it usually excludes the fusion bombs. It should be noted, however, that it takes a fission bomb to generate the heat necessary to "set off" a fusion reaction and make a fusion bomb work.
Why are nuclear bombs called 'dirty' bombs?
Fusion (thermonuclear) bombs can be classified into 'dirty' and 'clean' bombs, depending on the material used for their fusion stage(s) tamper. Normally depleted uranium is used, this produces a very high yield 'dirty' bomb as the uranium fissions providing as much as 90% of the yield and large amounts of fallout. If you are willing to sacrifice most of the weapon's potential yield (but the yield is still very high), you can replace the fusion stage(s) tamper with non-fissionable metals (e.g. lead, tungsten, iron) and get what is called a 'clean' bomb that in some cases produces 5% or less of the fallout of similar yield bombs with uranium tampers. There are also bombs called 'salted' bombs where selected elements are added to the uranium tamper to make the fallout worse at a minor loss in yield depending on how much of these elements are added. Sometimes these are referred to as 'dirty' fusion bombs, when the standard uranium tamper bomb is referred to as a 'conventional' fusion bomb.
Why are hydrogen bombs called dirty bombs?
Hydrogen bombs are called "dirty" bombs because, in the final stage of detonation, they fission1 a lot of uranium, releasing its binding energy. This results in a lot of mixed fission byproducts that contaminate the environment. -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1The detonation sequence is fission of the primary, uranium or plutonium, which initiates fusion, hydrogen, producing an enormous amount of neutrons along with radiation, followed by fission of the secondary or secondaries, uranium. For more information on the Teller-Ulam design, see the Related Link below.
What elements are in atom bombs?
if the bomb is a fission bomb it will use uranium 235 for fuel. if the bomb is a thermonuclear bomb (fusion) it will use the element hydrogen and an isotope of hydrogen for fuel.
What countries have or have use Dirty bombs?
so called "dirty bombs" cannot be built and stockpiled like nuclear weapons can. they must be assembled shortly before use. a "dirty bomb" is simply a conventional bomb wrapped in radioactive waste, the detonation of the conventional bomb scatters the radioactive waste thus making it "dirty". the problem with making a "dirty bomb" is that radiation from the radioactive waste will almost certainly kill anyone involved in the assembly of the bomb. countries are very unlikely to seriously consider making such bombs, only terrorist groups are likely to attempt it.
What is hydrogenic bomb?
A hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear bomb, is a type of nuclear weapon that derives its energy from nuclear fusion reactions. It involves the fusion of hydrogen isotopes such as deuterium and tritium, which release enormous amounts of energy. Hydrogen bombs are significantly more powerful than atomic bombs.
What is the most powerful type of nuclear bomb?
The most powerful type of nuclear bomb is the hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear bomb. These bombs use a two-stage process, with an initial fission reaction triggering a fusion reaction, resulting in a much larger explosion compared to atomic bombs.
What is better atomic weapons or nuclear weapons?
Often these terms are used interchangeably to describe "nuclear weapons" since an atomic bomb derives it's energy from a nuclear chain reaction. What you may be referring to is that the original test and subsequent bombs dropped on Japan during WWII were fission bombs with the Trinity test bomb and Nagasaki bomb being implosion style fission bombs using Plutonium and the Hiroshima bomb being a gun style fission bomb using Uranium. Subsequently, the United States began testing the early prototypes of the modern style warheads which are called thermonuclear weapons because they use a fission bomb to ignite a nuclear fusion reaction which produces a substantially larger yield than the initial fission bombs. The first test of a thermonuclear weapon was a hydrogen bomb detonated in 1952. So in terms of yield, the modern style thermonuclear weapons are drastically more efficient than the early fission bombs.
Who is the strongest bomb tzar bombs or atomic bomb?
The Tsar Bomba was a type of atomic bomb, specifically a thermonuclear fusion bomb. It was the highest yield atomic bomb ever built at 52 to 58 MTons depending on method of measurement.The Tsar Bomba was not the largest atomic bomb ever built, that was Ivy Mike also a thermonuclear fusion bomb. Mike's yield was only 10 MTons.
Why a hydrogen bomb is called a hydrogen bomb?
A hydrogen bomb is called so because it mainly relies on the fusion of hydrogen isotopes to release energy. The fusion process is what distinguishes it from an atomic bomb, which relies on nuclear fission.
Are new clear bombs hotter than the sun?
Is a neutron bomb hotter than the sun ______________________________________ No, not generally. A thermonuclear explosion (a hydrogen fusion bomb, unlike the earlier uranium fission bombs) will approach the temperature of the Sun, but will not equal it, and it will only last for a fraction of a second.
