answersLogoWhite

0

Okay, you asked. A neutron bomb is a weapon designed and constructed specifically to deliver a large(r) dose of radiation over a broad area to increase the lethality of the weapon without an increase in blast damage. Be clear that there will be A LOT of blast damage; it's a nuclear weapon. But the bomb is designed and constructed to produce more radiation. It's called a neutron bomb for the reason that there is a gross generation of "extra" neutrons. Because neutrons have no charge, they penetrate matter better than a hot knife through butter. Neutrons only minimally react with electrons (once in a very great while a neutron will slam into one), so that leaves collision with an atomic nucleus as their primary means of slowing down. The collisions (skip all the scattering and recoil stuff) directly ionize materials and/or create radiation which will in turn ionize stuff. The neutrons do direct damage to things when colliding, but the secondary effects do a tremendous amount of damage, too. Organic molecules (the stuff people are mostly made out of) take heavy damage from the effects of ionizing radiation. The radiation breaks the covalent bonds of biochemical substances (that make up living things) in a wholesale manner. Radiation is the bull in the china shop. The bomb is actually a fission fusion device. There is a primary stage in which a conventional chemical explosive is set off. The specially shaped charges (explosive lenses) are placed precisely around the fissionable material to drive it together. The shock wave compresses the heck out of the subcritical masses of, say, plutonium-239. Begin secondary stage: the fission of the plutonium. The fissile material goes critical. The chain of fission, neutron release and further fissions becomes self sustaining. But hold the phone. Everything is still moving "in" here. Recall the explosive lenses? The chain goes instantly through criticality to supercriticality. Neutron production goes through the roof and the nuclear burn is ramped up. Something like deuterium is added to the center, and when the fission stage lights up, the heat initiates a tertiary stage that is fusion. Neutron flux is extremely high, but materials have been selected for composition and given a geometry (contour) to allow a whole bunch of the neutrons to escape instead of building the chain further. That makes for the "enhanced radiation" part of the "enhanced radiation weapon" as the bomb is sometimes called. There is a blast like you have never seen. (Again, it's a nuc; there will be a lot of blast damage.) But radiation production is maximized. The extra radiation is designed to slam through things like tank armor. Kill or disable the crew and you've put the tank out of action. And this radiation is very lethal to tank crews that may think they've survived the blast because of the armor of the vehicle. The lethality of the weapon to those buttoned up inside a tank was the primary thinking behind development of the bomb. Back in the day, the USSR had NATO way outgunned in the tank department. The number disadvantage was severe. We needed an edge. But times have changed. The weapons have been stricken from the US inventory and are (probably) no longer a part of strategic planning.

User Avatar

Wiki User

17y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

Why did the soviets call the neutron bomb the Capitalist bomb?

the neutron bomb was called as capitalist bomb because it destroyed people not property


What bomb kills life but leaves buildings standing?

Neutron bomb


Which country was first to develop a neutron bomb?

USA


Which country was the First to develop a neutron bomb?

The United States was the first country to develop the neutron bomb in the 1950s and 1960s. The neutron bomb is a type of thermonuclear weapon designed to release a large amount of deadly neutron radiation while minimizing blast and heat effects.


What country was the first to develop a neutron bomb?

united states of America


What are the lyrics to The Neutron Bomb by The Controllers?

The Controllers' "Neutron Bomb" begins with a poem from WWII about a disemboweled gunner on a bomber over Europe. Then it goes: Some people think atomic bombs are weird But I don't want to end up seared By the Neutron Bomb Very strange! By the Neutron Bomb Cold War exchange! I can't get up Might get blown up Neutrons falling down Might as well hang around For the Neutron Bomb Try heading over to www.lyrics.com and search "The Controllers" and see if the band and song come up. If that doesnt work, try searchng the artist and song name on google (:


Which country in July 99 officially announced mastering of indigenously developed neutron bomb technology?

In July 1999, India officially announced that it had successfully mastered the technology to develop a neutron bomb.


Why neutron bomb is known as smart bomb?

It is not. A "smart" bomb is one with a guidance system that guides it directly to the target. A "Neutron" bomb is a specialized form of nuclear weapon that produces relatively little blast, but releases more immediate nuclear radiation than most other nuclear weapons


Is a neutron bomb more deadlier than a nuclear bomb?

A neutron bomb is a nuclear bomb.Specifically a neutron bomb is a modified fusion (hydrogen) bomb.In a standard fusion bomb the fusion tamper is Uranium-238. This absorbs the high energy fusion neutrons and fissions, producing roughly 90% of the yield of the fusion bomb and most of the fallout.If instead we change the fusion tamper to a different dense metal with a much much smaller cross-section for absorbing neutrons, then most of them escape. This is a "neutron" bomb. If everything else is the same, it has only about 10% of the yield and a tiny fraction of the fallout of the standard fusion bomb (making it a "clean" bomb).Sometimes the neutron bomb is considered an anti-tank weapon, as the neutrons can pass through the tank and irradiate the crew while the lower yield and fallout produce less blast damage and radiological contamination.However the high neutron flux induces secondary radioactivity in most exposed materials. This is also a form of radiological contamination, but cannot be washed off like fallout.


What is the surprising effect of the neutron bomb?

A neutron bomb, or enhanced radiation weapon (ERW), is a type of tactical nuclear weapon designed specifically to release a large portion of its energy as energetic neutron radiation rather than explosive energy. Neutron bomb would use nuclear fusion, but in a different way. The detonation of a neutron bomb would still produce an explosion, but one much smaller than a standard nuclear weapon's. The main effect of a neutron bomb would be the release of high-energy neutrons that would take lives far beyond the blast area. The result: fewer buildings, cars, tanks, roads, highways and other structures destroyed.


What was the idea for the nuclear bomb?

Uncontrolled neutron chain reaction, invented in 1933 by Leo Szilaard, implemented in 1945.


Is there more than one kind of atomic bomb?

Actually there are several types of atomic bomb, which include your basic fission bomb, the more powerful hydrogen bomb, the enhanced radiation or neutron bomb, the high-fallout cobalt bomb for maximum toxicity, and the pocket-nuke, to smuggle in your luggage in order to clandestinely destroy some enemy city.