Atomic bomb and nuclear bomb are not the same thing: what changes and what the differences are

In the last few days there has been a marked escalation of the Open conflict between Iran and Israelwith the latter that conducted targeted air raids on Tehran and on multiple Iranian strategic objectives, including military bases and nuclear systems. The operation is aimed at the total dismantling of the Iranian program of enrichment of uranium, considered by the Israeli authorities aimed at the development of atomic devices for war use, considered a threat criticism for the national security of Israel. In these contexts, the terms “atomic bomb” And “nuclear bomb“Sometimes they are used in improper way as synonyms, while referring to distinct categories of bombseach characterized by peculiar technical specifications.

What is meant by nuclear bomb?

The term “nuclear bomb” (or nuclear weapon) refers generically to any explosive device that uses controlled nuclear reactionssuch as the fission and/or the mergerto release an extremely high amount of energy in a very short time interval. The explosive power of these devices is expressed in Kiloton (kt), where 1 Kiloton corresponds to the energy freed from the explosion of a thousand tons of equivalent chopped chopped (Tnt). The destructive capacity of nuclear weapons varies from hamlets of Kiloton to several hundred megaton, without theoretical limits for merger ones.

In addition to the nature of the nuclear reactions used, nuclear bombs can be classified in relation to operational context of their use:

• Tactical nuclear weapons They are designed for direct use on the battlefield, with the aim of neutralizing specific military targets in territorially limited areas. Generally they have a power included within a maximum interval of 100-200 kiloton and are characterized by a range of action limited;
• Strategic nuclear weapons they are instead developed to affect goals of critical relevanceas a military bases and essential infrastructures. These devices have an explosive capacity varying from a few hundred Kiloton up to over a megaton and have a range of action extended which allows you to reach targets located at remarkable distances within the enemy territory. These technical characteristics qualify strategic nuclear weapons such as deterrence toolsaimed at dissuading large -scale nuclear attacks by the threat of a destructive and proportionate response

What is the atomic bomb?

The atomic bomb is an explosive device belonging to the category of nuclear weapons, whose energy is produced exclusively from a nuclear fission reaction. Its operation is based on the split of the nucleus of a heavy fissile isotope, such as theUranium-235 (²³⁵U) or the plutonium-239 (²³⁹PU), induced by the impact with a free neutron. This split frees a high amount of energy and generates secondary neutrons which in turn cause the fission of further physical nuclei, triggering A chain reaction which propagates quickly within the critical mass of fissile material. The critical mass represents the minimum quantity of fissile material (²³⁵U o ²³⁹PU) necessary so that the fission chain reaction can expand autonomously. If the mass of fissile material is inferior To this threshold, secondary neutrons can disperse without causing further fission events, interrupting Thus the self-sustaining of the process

In war contexts, the atomic bomb is a weapon of mass destruction able to cause immediate devastation and long -term effects deriving from exposure to ionizing radiation. The explosive power of these devices typically varies from approximately 0.5 Kiloton until 500 Kiloton, with an estimated theoretical limit to 10 Megaton. The disassembled devices on Hiroshima And Nagasakiknown respectively as “Little Boy” And “Fat man“They were both based on nuclear fission reactions, with an explosive power of about 15 And 21 Kiloton.

There bomb to hydrogen, or weapon Thermonuclear: how it works

There thermonuclear bombalso known as “hydrogen bomb“, represents an advanced type of nuclear weapon and is technically based on the process of nuclear fusion. In this mechanism, lighter nuclei such as the deuterio and trizio (hydrogen isotopes) combine to form a heavier nucleus, generally heliumreleasing a quantity of nergia per unit of mass clearly superior compared to that produced by nuclear fission. This weapon is designed according to a principle a “Two stadiums“: one first detonation based on fission generates conditions extreme of pressure and temperature (up to about 100 millions of Gradi Celsius), necessary to trigger the subsequent ones merger reactions. Absence of critical mass removes any theoretical limit relating to the amount of fuel that can be used, allowing the realization of bombs with explosive power substantially unlimited. In addition, thermonuclear technology ensures a Optimal power/weight ratioallowing a significant volumetric reduction of the newspapers, an increase in energy efficiency per mass unit and advanced miniaturization.

The Tsar Bomb, a thermonuclear device developed by the Soviet Union, represents the more powerful nuclear detonation never carried out in human history. The energy released was estimated in 50 Megatoncorresponding about 1570 times The combined power of the US atomic bombs used during the Second World War. The detonation took place the October 30th 1961 on the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlyacausing one total destruction Within a radius of 35 km and generating a cloud of heat and thermal radiation of exceptional proportions. This test was unique in its kind, since the size and mass of the bomb made it impracticable employment in an operational military context.