Why is the hydrogen bomb dependent on the atomic bomb?

Answer 1

A hydrogen bomb is a fusion nuclear weapon, and the "regular" atomic bomb is a fission one. Both are an example of an "atomic bomb" in the general sense. But we know what you're asking, and here's the answer. In a fission weapon, subcritical masses of fissile material (usually plutonium) are driven together with conventional explosives to cause criticality, supercriticality and the blast. In a hydrogen bomb, the only way to get things hot enough for fusion to begin to occur is by virtue of the heat generated by a fission weapon. A fission blast will, if things are set up correctly, set off a fusion blast. Big, big, bigboom! That's the long and short of it. To build a hydrogen (fusion) weapon, you have to build a fission bomb "around" or "up against" components to cause fusion to occur in the heat of the fission reaction when that fission bomb goes off. Our sun is a gigantic fusion machine. It is similar to a hydrogen bomb in that both fuse hydrogen into helium. On the sun, it happens all the time in a continuous event. Here on earth, it's a one-shot affair and a massive boom!

Answer 2

The hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear bomb, relies on the intense heat and pressure created by the detonation of an atomic bomb to initiate the fusion reaction of hydrogen isotopes. The atomic bomb provides the necessary conditions for the fusion reaction to occur, resulting in a significantly more powerful explosion than the atomic bomb alone.