The Manhattan Project : a very brief introduction to the physics of nuclear weapons /

The development of nuclear weapons by the Manhattan Project during World War II was one of the most dramatic scientific/technological episodes in human history. This book, prepared by a recognized expert on the Manhattan Project, offers a concise survey of the essential physics concepts underlying f...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Clasificación:Libro Electrónico
Autor principal: Reed, Bruce Cameron (Autor)
Formato: Electrónico eBook
Idioma:Inglés
Publicado: San Rafael [California] (40 Oak Drive, San Rafael, CA, 94903, USA) : Morgan & Claypool Publishers, [2017]
Colección:IOP (Series). Release 3.
IOP concise physics.
Temas:
Manhattan Project (U.S.)
Nuclear fission.
Nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Physics.
Acceso en línea:Texto completo
Tabla de Contenidos:
  • Preface
  • 1. The background
  • 1.1. The physics
  • 1.2. The Manhattan Project
  • 2. Nuclear fission
  • 2.1. Energy release in fission
  • 2.2. Chain reaction timescale
  • 2.3. Temperature equivalent of fission fragments
  • 2.4. A first glimpse of the efficiency issue
  • 2.5. Neutron pairing energy, the fission barrier, and plutonium
  • 2.6. Decay mechanisms and the ([alpha], n) problem
  • 2.7. Spontaneous fission
  • 3. Criticality and efficiency
  • 3.1. Bare criticality
  • 3.2. Supercriticality and the radius-density effect
  • 3.3. Tamped criticality
  • 3.4. Efficiency
  • 4. Obtaining fissile material
  • 4.1. U-235 : the electromagnetic method
  • 4.2. U-235 : the gaseous diffusion method
  • 4.3. Pu-239 : the Hanford reactors
  • 5. Los Alamos, Little Boy, Fat Man, Trinity, Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  • 5.1. Predetonation probability
  • 5.2. Little Boy
  • 5.3. Implosion and Fat Man
  • 5.4. Yield probability
  • 5.5. Trinity
  • 5.6. Hiroshima and Nagasaki
  • 6. Effects of nuclear weapons
  • 6.1. Brightness and thermal radiation
  • 6.2. Shock wave
  • 6.3. Neutron scattering
  • 6.4. A brief tutorial on radioactivity and radiation exposure units
  • 6.5. Prompt radioactivity from a nuclear weapon
  • 7. Legacy
  • 7.1. Postwar proliferation, tests, and deployments
  • 7.2. Nuclear arms treaties and the baggage of the Cold War
  • 7.3. Final thoughts.

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