The hydrogen bomb in the USSR was tested. Dangerous "puff": as the Soviet hydrogen bomb shocked the world. Possible consequences of the explosion of the hydrogen bomb

On January 16, 1963, Nikita Khrushchev announced the creation of a hydrogen bomb in the USSR. And this is another reason to remember its scale destructive consequences And how threatening is a weapon of mass lesion.

On January 16, 1963, Nikita Khrushchev announced that the USSR created a hydrogen bomb, after which nuclear tests were discontinued. The Caribbean crisis of 1962 showed how fragile and defenseless could be peace against the background of a nuclear threat, therefore, in a senseless race for the destruction of each other, the USSR and the United States were able to compromise and sign the first treaty regulated by the development of nuclear weapons - a treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons testing In the atmosphere, space and under water, to which many countries of the world subsequently connected.

In the USSR and the United States, the test of nuclear weapons was carried out from the mid-1940s. The theoretical possibility of energy production by thermonuclear synthesis was known before the Second World War. It is also known that in Germany in 1944, work was carried out to initiate thermonuclear synthesis by compressing nuclear fuel using the charges of a conventional explosive, but they were not crowned with success, since it was not possible to obtain the necessary temperatures and pressure.

For 15 years of testing of nuclear weapons in the USSR and the United States, many discoveries in the field of chemistry and physics were made, which led to two types of bombs - atomic and hydrogen. The principle of their work is slightly different: if the decay of the nucleus leads to the explosion of the atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb explodes due to the synthesis of elements with the separation of a colossal amount of energy. It is this reaction that flows in the depths of stars, where under the action of ultra-high temperatures and gigantic pressure, hydrogen core collide and merge into heavier helium kernels. The resulting amount of energy is enough to run the chain reaction, involving all possible hydrogen in it. That is why the stars are not overtaken, and the explosion of the hydrogen bomb has such a destructive power.

How it works?

Scientists copied this reaction using liquid hydrogen isotopes - deuterium and tritium, which gave the name "Hydrogen bomb". Subsequently, a deuteride of lithium-6 was used, a solid, a compound of deuterium and lithium isotope, which in its chemical properties It is an analogue of hydrogen. Thus, Lithium-6 deuteride is a flammable bomb and, in fact, it turns out to be more "pure" than uranium-235 or plutonium used in atomic bombs and causing power radiation. However, in order to ensure that the hydrogen reaction itself is started, something must be very strong and sharply increase the temperature inside the projectile, for which the usual nuclear charge is used. But the container for thermonuclear fuel is made from radioactive uranium-238, alternating it with the Layers of Datery, which is why the first Soviet bombs of this type were called "puffs". It is because of them all the living, which, even at a distance of hundreds of kilometers from the explosion and surviving during the explosion, can get a dose of irradiation, which will lead to severe diseases and fatal outcome.

Why is the explosion formed "mushroom"?

In fact, the mushroom-shaped cloud is an ordinary physical phenomenon. Such clouds are formed in conventional explosions of sufficient power, with eruptions of volcanoes, strong fires and meteorites. Hot air always rises above the cold, however, the heating occurs so quickly and so powerfully that he climbs upwards upwards, twists in an annular whirlwind and pulls the "leg" - a pole of dust and smoke from the ground. Lifting, the air is gradually cooled, becoming similar to the usual cloud due to the condensation of water vapor. However, this is not all. Much more dangerous for man impact explosive wave, Distributing on the surface of the Earth from the epicenter of an explosion around the circle by a radius reaching 700 km, and radioactive precipitates falling out of the most mushroom cloud.

60 hydrogen bombs of the USSR

Until 1963, more than 200 nuclear test explosions were produced in the USSR, 60 of which were thermonuclear, that is, he exploded in this case is not atomic, but a hydrogen bomb. On the day on the landfills could be made in three or four experiments, during which the dynamics of the explosion, affecting the abilities, potential damage of the enemy were studied.

The first experienced sample was blown up on August 27, 1949, and the last test of nuclear weapons in the USSR produced December 25, 1962. All tests took place mainly on two polygons - at the Semipalatinsky landfill or "shiype" located in Kazakhstan, and on the new land, the archipelago in the Arctic Ocean.

August 12, 1953: The first tests of the hydrogen bomb in the USSR

For the first time, the hydrogen explosion was produced in the United States in 1952 by an enclosure atoll. There was an explosion of charge with a capacity of 10.4 megatons, which 450 times exceeded the power of the bomb "fat man" discarded on Nagasaki. However, it is impossible to call this device a bomb in the literal sense. It was a design with a three-storey house filled with liquid deuterium.

But the first thermonuclear weapons in the USSR was tested in August 1953 at the Semipalatinian landfill. It was already a real bomb discarded from the aircraft. The project was developed in 1949 (even before testing the first Soviet nuclear bomb) Andrei Sakharov and Julia Khariton. The explosion power was equivalent to 400 kilotons, but the studies have shown that power could be increased to 750 kilotons, since only 20% of fuel was consumed in the thermonuclear reaction.

The most powerful bomb in the world

The most powerful explosion in history was initiated by a group of nuclear physicists under the leadership of Academician of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR I.V. Kurchatova October 30, 1961 at the Dry Nose Polygon on the New Earth archipelago. The measured explosion power was 58.6 megatons, which repeatedly exceeded all the experienced explosions produced in the USSR or USA. It was originally planned that the bomb would be even more and more powerful, but there was not a single aircraft that could raise greater weight into the air.

The fiery ball of the explosion reached a radius of about 4.6 kilometers. Theoretically, he could grow to the surface of the Earth, however, this was prevented by a reflected shock wave, which raised the bottom of the ball and threw it from the surface. The nuclear blast mushroom rose to a height of 67 kilometers (for comparison: modern passenger aircraft fly at an altitude of 8-11 kilometers). A tangible wave of atmospheric pressure, which arose as a result of the explosion, reincounded three times. earth, spreading in just a few seconds, and the sound wave rushed to Dixon Island at a distance of about 800 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion (distance from Moscow to St. Petersburg). Radiation was infected with everything at a distance of two or three kilometers.

The creation of thermonuclear weapons was a turning point in the middle of the twentieth century. From a military-political point of view, it meant the possibility of an unlimited increase in energy release of nuclear arsenals. From a scientific and technical point of view, this was an extremely effective, technological and economical solution to the problem of increasing energy release and affecting factors of nuclear ammunition. From a political point of view, the impossibility of large-scale world wars was realized.

The first samples of thermonuclear weapons were created in the USSR and the United States almost simultaneously.

Although the possibilities of American production and allowed the United States in the late 50s to achieve a significant increase in the megatonna nuclear arsenal compared to the USSR, subsequently, this gap was liquidated, and the foundation for this was the achievements of the USSR in the development of the first thermalide charges. It is safe to say that if we could not create our own samples of thermonuclear charges or if this process was significantly delayed, the United States would return to itself a nuclear monopoly, and the possibility of the USSR in a military confrontation with the United States would be reduced to almost zero. Then the story of the second half of the 20th century could be completely different.

The conditions created under the conditions of deep secrecy of the design of hydrogen bombs in the United States and the USSR were based on the action of the same physical laws, repelled from the same trends in the development of weapons, so naturally, in many ways, independently of each other, the scientists of the West and East, in the end, came to close results .

Since June 1946, theoretical studies of the possibility of using the nuclear energy of light elements began to be held in Moscow at the Institute of Chemical Physics by a group of S.P. Dyakova and A.S. The company under the direction of Ya.B. Zeldovich. Since 1948, a group I.E. has joined the decision of this problem. Tamma, in which A.D. worked Sakharov.

In the autumn of 1948, A.D. Sahars independently of E. Teller comes to the idea of \u200b\u200ba heterogeneous scheme with alternating layers from deuterium and U-238, i.e. To the scheme similar scheme "alarm". The principle of ionization compression of thermonuclear fuel is called "saccharification" ("first idea").

At the end of 1948 V.L. Ginzburg suggested using the Li6D deuteride ("second idea" as thermonuclear fuel.

At the direction of B.L.vannikova on May 8, 1949 Yu.B. Hariton prepared a conclusion on the proposal of I.E.Tamma, noting that the main idea of \u200b\u200bthe sentence of A.D. Sakharov "extremely witty and physically visual", supported the work on the "puff."

Since that time, working on a hydrogen bomb in the USSR was actually held in two different directions: a group led by Ya.B. Zeldovich, continued to consider the possibility of nuclear detonation in deuterium, group I.E. Tamma began the study of systems with strata from uranium and thermonuclear fuel. H-bomb Super type received the RDS-6T index, and the hydrogen bomb of the puff configuration is the RDS-6C index.

The idea of \u200b\u200b"puffs" and the idea of \u200b\u200bapplying deuteride lithium-6 - the "first" and "second" ideas on the terminology of "memories" A.D. Sakharov, and became those key ideas, In the future, were based on the development of the first Soviet hydrogen bomb of RDS-6C. However, despite the clarity of the original physical ideas of "puffs", formulated in 1948, the path of creation on the basis of their realistic design was not simple.

On February 26, 1950, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted Resolution No. 827-808 "On the work on the creation of RDS-6", which obliges the first Main Department, Laboratory No. 2 of the USSR Academy of Sciences and KB-11 to hold settlement and theoretical, experimental and design work on the creation of the product RDS-6C ("Pear") and RDS-6T ("Pipe"). First of all, a product of the RDS-6C with a TNTIL equivalent of 1 million tons should be created with a weight of up to 5 tons.

The term of manufacturing the 1st copy of the RDS-6C product was established - 1954.

U. B. Khariton, his substituents I.E., was appointed supervised by the supervisor of works on the creation of RDS-6C and RDS-6T products. Tamm and Ya.B. Zeldovich.

By the decision of the Council of Ministers of the USSR of February 28, 1950, work on the hydrogen bomb was concentrated in KB-11. In accordance with this resolution, the group I.E. Tamm was directed in 1950 for a permanent job in Arzamas-16. On the same day, a resolution of the USSR No. 828-304 "On the organization of production of tritium" was adopted. Soon, the decrees of the USSR of the USSR were adopted about the organization of the production of deuteride Lithium-6 and the construction of a specialized reactor for the development of tritium.

In Chelyabinsk-65, tritium and other special isotopes were established. In 1951, 50 MW reactor AI was derived for the design capacity. A somewhat later work of tritium was organized in heavyweight reactors, the first of which was the OK-180 reactor. The troubled triumph was released from lithium targets in a vacuum furnace and cleared chemical method

Designed in 1950-1953. In KB-11, the BDS-6 Thermonuclear charge, which was the first thermonuclear charge of the USSR, was a spherical system from the strata of uranium and thermonuclear fuel, surrounded by a chemical explosive. To increase the energy release of the charge in its design, tritium was used.

Hasive efforts with the participation of a large number of people and large material costs required the production of a product of substances, other production and technological work.

Special role In all preparations for the tests of the first, theoretical groups played. Their task was to choose the main directions for the development of products, evaluations and general theoretical works related to the proceeding process, choosing product options and supervising specific calculations of the explosion processes in various versions. These calculations were carried out by numerical methods, in those years - in special mathematical groups created in some research institutes.

Theoretical groups also played an important role in determining tasks, analyzing results, discussing and coordinating almost all listed areas of work of other units of the object and attracted organizations. "

General management of works on RDS-6C was carried out by I.V. Curchatov. The main designer and direct supervisor of the works was Yu.B. Khariton.

By April 1953, all elements of the RDS-6C Thermalian Charge were worked out.

The test of RDS-6C at the Semipalatinsky landfill was the fourth on account; By the beginning of 1953, there were already 34 nuclear tests. Emergency measures were taken to ensure the safety of the population of the USSR government. 2250 people were evicted from the zone of possible radioactive contamination and 44068 heads were taken out.

Led the tests as in the previous years I.V. Kurchatov. The best scientists and specialists of our country were attracted to the work at the landfill. At the Semipalatinsky landfill, a wide front was the preparation of an experienced field - a plot where various structures, construction, technique and other facilities were located to study various aspects of the explosion.

The signal to undermining the RDS-6C was filed at 7.30 am on August 12, 1953. The horizon illuminated the brightest flash, which blinded eyes even through dark glasses. Unusual phenomena associated with the development of the explosion, many observers were fixed very carefully, and then transferred their records I.V. Kurchatov. Here is what you can read in them:

"The phenomenon watched on August 12. From the airfield in paragraph "M", in 65 km from the explosion site. Exactly at 7 o'clock. 30 minutes. Morning on the horizon aside "Fields" broke out a bright white dazzling light, which, despite the darkened glasses, made me closing his eyes for a moment. The dazzling outbreak instantly turned into a huge raging and with each second, the fiery mass increasing on the horizon. A ball of red-orange color appeared on the horizon, which exploded, and in his place there was a dense white cloud, having a mushroom form, which, however, at the top of a relatively long time (about 15-20 minutes) retained orange painting ...

Further, this cloud began to change his shape under the action of wind and disappeared behind the clouds at 12 o'clock in the southwestern direction ... Fiery wishper surfaced, forming the luminous head "Mushroom" on the thick dark leg. The mushroom head, expanding, smoothly climbed, the leg was sophisticated, especially in the upper part, adjacent to the head; The head quickly Gasla and became dark ... Rapid movement in the entire weight of the cloud sharply got into the eyes ... A white cloud appeared on the top of the head, and from the top of the leg (dust pillar), adjacent to the head, began to form a cloud in the form of an expanding down cone (skirts ) ... The overall impression of the explosion is very strong. In combat conditions, no doubt, the explosion will morally affect people who will observe him from the part. In life, I saw a lot of breaks and explosions, but this explosion has nothing to do with them and cannot be comparable with anything. Unforgettable my impressions of the destruction at considerable distances from the epicenter of the explosion, which I watched, circling the landfill after the event. "

Successful test of the RDS-6C on August 12, 1953 at the Semipalatinsky polygon fully confirmed the physical and design principles of this type of hydrogen bomb, as well as the calculation method. The total tiltable equivalent measured by various methods was 400 CT and within the measurement accuracy coincided with the calculated power.

The "Summary Test Report of the RDS-6C product" was written by Ya.B. Zeldovich and signed I.V. Kurchatov, Yu.B. Hariton, Ya.B. Zeldovich, E.I. Balabachin and VS Comelkov on September 9, 1953.

Work on RDS-6C was continued. On November 6, 1955, the USSR was successfully tested by the RDS-27 charge, which was the modernization of RDS-6C based on the use of exclusively deuteride lithium (without the use of tritium). The energy release of the charge was 250 CT, which was 1.6 times less than the RDS-6C energy release. According to its design qualities, it was a real weapon, and his test was produced in the aircraft bombing.

Physician scientists from the US Atomic Energy Commission amounted to the report in this regard, which was submitted to the President. The essence of this document was that Soviet Union produced "at the high technical level a hydrogen explosion" and turned out to be in some respects ahead. The authors of the report stated: "The USSR has already carried out something from the fact that the United States hoped to obtain as a result of the experiments appointed for the spring of 1954."

Laureat. Nobel PrizeThe head of the first theoretical department in Los Alamos Bethe was completely sincerely wrote: "I don't know how they did it. It is amazing that they could implement it. "

What lessons can be learned from those events that led to the first (and extremely successful) testing of the first thermonuclear atomic bomb in 1953?

• first, it is a lesson for a focused rational organization of all work on a nuclear issue;
• secondly, it is a lesson of how to attract all the intellectual power of the country to fulfill the state problem;
• thirdly, this is an example of how to react to a breakthrough in scientific spherehaving colossal defense value;
• fourth, it was the first example of creating a containment weapon based on the most advanced technologies determined by the achievements of fundamental science.

The special position of the RDS-6C, as a major event in the development of the nuclear weapon program of our state, is that this development lies at the intersection of the development of various ideas that determined the appearance of nuclear and thermonuclear charges of different states. On the one hand, this development concentrated the basic principles of the design of nuclear weapons, known at that time, uniting them with the idea of \u200b\u200bbusting, and on the other hand, RDS-6C had a fundamental, if not fundamental, influence on the creation of RDS-37 and thereby In general, on the appearance of the thermonuclear arsenal of our country. Successful ideas taken from the design of RDS-6C have a long impact on the development of thermonuclear weapons in our country.

The work of the creators of the first hydrogen bomb, including KB-11 employees, was highly appreciated by the Soviet government. August 25, 1953 Minister of Middle Machinery V.A. Malyshev was sent lists of employees of KB-11, represented by award. Total 753 people.

As you know, in the mid-20s, the English Astrophysicist Eddington highlighted the suggestion that nuclear reactions of synthesis (fusion of light atomic nuclei in heavier. Ultra-high temperature and pressure in the depths of stars create the conditions for this. . In normal (earthly) conditions, the kinetic energy of the nuclei of light atoms is too small so that they, overcoming electrostatic repulsion, can close and enter into a nuclear reaction. However, this repulsion can be overcome, confronted overclocked to high velocities of the nucleus of light elements. D.Kocroft And E.ouolton used this method in their experiments conducted in 1932. In Cambridge (United Kingdom). The protons accelerated in the electric field, "shelled" the lithium target was observed with the interaction of protons with lithium nuclei. In 1938. three physicists are no one Two cycles of thermonuclear reactions of the conversion of water in helium were discovered from each other. Nickname of the stars: - Proton-proton ( Bethe and Ch. Critfield) and carbon-nitric (G. Beta and K.Wuzekker). Thus, the theoretical possibility of obtaining energy through nuclear synthesis was known before the war. The question was to create a workable technical device that would allow to create conditions on Earth necessary to begin the synthesis reactions. This required millions of temperatures and ultrahigh pressure. In 1944 In Germany, in the laboratory of Diber, work was carried out to initiate thermonuclear synthesis by compressing nuclear fuel undermining the cumulative charges of a conventional explosive (see "Uranus project of fascist Germany"). These works were not given however, the desired result is now understandable due to insufficiency of pressure and temperature. USA The idea of \u200b\u200ba bomb based on the thermonuclear synthesis, initiated by the atomic charge was proposed by E.Fermi his colleague E.Teller (which is considered the "father" of the thermal nuclear bomb) back in 1941. In 1942 A conflict arose between Opönheimer and Teller, since the latter was "offended" by the fact that the place of the head of the theoretical department was not given to him. As a result, Oppenheimer removed the teller from the atomic bomb project and translated to study the possibility of using the helium synthesis reaction from heavy hydrogen cores (deuterium) to create a new weapon. Teller began to create a device called "classic super" (in the Soviet version of the "pipe"). The idea was to incite the thermonuclear reaction in liquid deuterium with heat from an atomic charge explosion. But soon it turned out that the atomic explosion is not hot enough, and does not provide the necessary conditions for the "burning" of the deuterium. To begin the reactions of synthesis, it was necessary to introduce into a mixture of tritium. The deuterium reaction with tritium was to increase the temperature to the conditions of deuterium-deuterium synthesis. But tritium, because of its radioactivity (half-life of only 12 years) in nature is practically not found and it has to receive it artificial way In fission reactors. It made it an order of magnitude more expensive than weapons plutonium. In addition, every 12 years, half of the resulting tritium simply disappeared as a result of radioactive decay. The use of gaseous deuterium and tritium as nuclear fuel was impossible and accounted for the bodied gas, which made explosive devices unsuitable for practical use. Studies of the problems of "Classical Super" continued in the United States until the end of 1950. When it turned out that even despite the large quantities of tritia, it is impossible to achieve stable thermonuclear combustion in such a device. Studies went to a dead end. In April 1946 In Los Alamos, a secret meeting was held on which the results of American work on the hydrogen bomb were discussed in it. Klaus Fuchs participated. After some time after the meeting, he conveyed materials related to these work, representatives of Soviet intelligence and they fell to our physicists. In early 1950 K. Fuks was arrested and this source of information "dried". At the end of August 1946 E.Teller put forward an idea alternative "Classic Super", which he called "Alarm Clock". This option was used in the USSR A.Saharov called the "Ployk", and in the USA has never been implemented. The idea was surrounded by the kernel of the nuclear bomb of the layer of thermonuclear fuel from a mixture of deuterium with tritium. The radiation from the atomic explosion is capable of squeezing 7-16 layers of combustible, intermitted with the layers of the dividing material and heat it to about the same temperature as the core itself itself. This again demanded the use of very expensive and inconvenient tritium. Thermonuclear fuel surrounded the shell from uranium-238 which at the first stage performed the thermal insulator, without giving the energy to go beyond the fuel capsule. Without it, combustible, consisting of light elements would be absolutely transparent for thermal radiation, and would not progress to high temperatures. The opaque uranium absorbing this energy, returned part of it back into fuel. In addition, they increase the compression of fuel by containing its thermal expansion. At the second stage, the uranium was decayed due to neutrons that appeared during the synthesis, highlighting additional energy. In September 1947 Teller offered to use a new thermonuclear fuel - deuteride of lithium-6, under normal conditions, a solid substance. Lithium absorbing neutron was divided into helium and tritium with extraction of additional energy, which even more increased the temperature, helping the synthesis. The idea of \u200b\u200b"puffs", and used British physicists when creating when creating their first bomb. But being a dead-end branch of the development of thermonuclear systems, this scheme died. Transfer the development of thermonuclear weapons into the practical plane allowed the proposed in 1951. Teler by Teller Stanislav Ulam New Scheme. To initiate thermonuclear synthesis, it was assumed to compress thermonuclear fuel, using radiation from the primary cleavage reaction, and not a shock wave (the so-called "radiation implosion" idea), as well as to place the thermonuclear charge separately from the primary nuclear component of the bomb - trigger (two-step circuit ). Considering that with the usual atomic explosion, 80% of the energy is released in the form of X-ray radiation, and about 20 in the form of the kinetic energy of the separation fragments and that X-ray rays are much award expanding (at a speed of about 1000 km / s.) Plutonium residues, such a scheme made it possible to compress the container With thermonuclear fuel in the second stage before its intensive heating. This model of the American hydrogen bomb was called Ulam-Teller. In practice, everything happens as follows. The components of the bomb are placed in a cylindrical case with a trigger at one end. Thermonuclear fuel in the form of a cystic or ellipsoid is placed in a housing of very dense material - uranium, lead or tungsten. Inside the cylinder axially placed the rod from PU-239 or U-235, 2-3 cm. In diameter. All the remaining space of the housing is filled with plast. When undermining the trigger, emitted X-rays heat the uranium body of the bomb. It begins to expand and cooled by weightlifting (ablation). The phenomenon of the charge, like a jet of cumulative charge of the inward capsule, develops a huge pressure on thermonuclear fuel. Two other pressure sources of plasma movement (after the initial charge of the capsule body, as well as the device is an ionized plasma) and the pressure of X-ray photons does not have a significant effect on the compression. When comprising a rod from the dividing material, it goes into the supercritical state. Fast neutrons formed during the division of the trigger and decelerated lithium deuteride to heat velocities begin the chain reaction in the rod. Another atomic explosion occurs actually by the "ignition candle" and causing even greater increases pressure and temperature in the center of the capsule, making them sufficient to incite the thermal nuclear reaction. The uranium body interferes with the output of thermal radiation beyond its limits, significantly increasing burning efficiency. Temperatures that occur during the term reaction repeatedly exceed the resulting declarations for chain (up to 300 million instead of 50-100 million. Hail.). All this happens about several hundred nano-seconds. The processed sequence described above ends if the charge housing is made of tungsten (or lead). However, if you make it from U-238, the rapid neutrons formed during the synthesis are caused by the division of the U-238 nuclei. The division of one ton U-238 gives energy equivalent to 18 MT. In this case there will be many radioactive fission products. All this is radioactive precipitation, accompanying the explosion of the hydrogen bomb. Pure thermonuclear charges create significant infection due to the trigger explosion only. Such bombs obtained the name "clean" / two-stage diagram of Teller-Ulam allows you to create so powerful charges, as long as the power of the trigger for ultrafast compression of a large amount of fuel. To further increase the size of the charge, you can use the energy of the second stage for the compression of the third. At each stage in such devices, the capacity is 10-100 times. The model required a large number of tritium, and for its production, the Americans built new reactors. Work went in a big hurry, because the Soviet Union has already created by that time atomic bomb. The states remained only to hope that the USSR went on stolen fuchs deadlock (which was arrested in England in January 1950). And these hopes were justified. The first thermonuclear devices were blown up during the Greenhouse operation (Orange) on the enhoetered atoll (Marshall Islands). The operation included four tests. During the first two "DOG" and "Easy" in April1951g. Two new atomic bombs were tested: MK.6 - 81T. and MK.5 - 47kt. May 8, 1951 The first test of the "George" thermonuclear device was carried out with a capacity of 225kt. It was a purely research experiment on the study of thermonuclear deuterium burning. The device was a nuclear charge in the form of a Torah 2.6m. in diameter and 0.6m. Thick with a small (several grams) with the amount of liquid deuterium-tritium mixtures placed in the center. Energy output from the synthesis in this device is very small compared to the yield of energy from the division of uranium nuclei. May 25, 1951 A test of the thermal device "Item" was tested. In it, a mixture of deuterium with tritium, cooled to a liquid state, was used as thermonuclear fuel, and inside the nucleus from the enriched uranium. The device was created to test the principle of increasing the power of the atomic charge due to additional neutrons arising in the synthesis reaction. These neutrons, falling into the zone of the fission reaction, increased their intensity (the share of ragged uranium nuclei increased) and therefore the force of the explosion. To speed up the developments in July 1952. The US government organized the second weapon nuclear center - the Livermous National Laboratory. Lawrence in California. November 1, 1952 An envelope atoll was carried out by a test "Ivy Mike" with a capacity of 10.4 mТ. It was the first device created on the principle of Teller-Ulam. It weighed around 80t. and occupied a room with a two-storey house. Thermonuclear flamshore (deuterium - tritium) was in a liquid state at a temperature close to the absolute zero in the Dewar vessel in the center of which the plutonium page was passed. The vessel itself surrounded the housing pusher from natural uranium, weighing more than 5t. The entire assembly was placed in a huge steel shell, 2m. in diameter and 6.1m. Height, with walls with a thickness of 25-30cm. The experiment was an intermediate step of american physicists on the way to the creation of transportable hydrogen weapons. 77% (8 MT.) Energy output ensured the division of the uranium charge case and only (2.4 mт.), Accounted for a synthesis reaction.
"Ivy Mike" a mixture of liquid isotopes of hydrogen did not have practical application For thermal ammunition, and subsequent progress in the development of thermonuclear weapons is associated with the use of solid fuel - deuteride lithium-6 (Li6). In this regard, the Soviet scientists who used Deuteride Li6 were already in the first Soviet termonuclear bomb under August 1953. The American Li6 production plant in OK-Ridge was put into operation only by mid 1953. (Building began in May 1952). After the Ivy Mike operation, both nuclear center (in Los Alamos and California) have begun a rush to develop more compact charges using lithium deuteride that could be used in combat conditions. In 1954 During the operation "Castle" on the Bikini Atoll, it was planned to preserve the experimental samples of thermonuclear charges that became prototypes for the first serial bombs. However, for the speedy equipment of the armed forces, three types of devices, they were immediately, without testing, made by a small series (5 products). One of them was the EC-16 bomb (its test under the name "Jughead" planned during the "Castle" operation). It was the transportable version of the "Mike" cryogenic system (the mass of the bomb 19t. Power 8mt.). But after the first successful tests of devices with the deuteride of lithium EC-16 instantly outdated and did not even experience. EC-17 and EC-14 were serial versions of the "RUNT I" and "ALARM CLOCK" devices. March 1, 1954 (here and then the date is local time) The "Castle Bravo" was presented during which the SHRIMP device was blown up. It was a two-stage charge with lithium deuteride enriched isotope Li6 to 40% (the rest was natural Li7). Such combustible was used in the US for the first time so the power of the explosion greatly exceeded the expected 4-8m. and amounted to 15mt. (10mt. It was separated when dividing the shell from U-238 and 5 MT. From the synthesis reaction). The reason for unexpectedly high power consisted in LI7 which should have been sufficiently inert, but in reality, when absorbed by fast neutrons, the Li7 atom also shared on tritium and helium. This "unplanned" tritium and provided 2-short power gain. The crater from the explosion turned out to be 2km. In diameter and depth 75m. The mass of the device was 10.5t. Length 4.5m. Diameter 1.35m. The successful result of the first test led to the refusal of cryogenic projects "Jughead" (EC-16) and "Ramrod" (cryogenic twin device "Morgenstern"). Due to the lack of enriched LI6 in the next test, the "Castle Romeo" was used to charge from natural (7. 5% Li6) lithium. Thermonuclear device under the name "RUNT I" was blown up on March 26, 1954. At the same time, it was the control test of the thermonuclear bomb that received the designation EC-17. The power of the explosion was 11mt. Of which the synthesis reactions accounted for 4mt. As in the case of BRAVO, the outdoor power exceeded the expected 1.5-7mT. Mass of the device - 18t. Length - 5.7m. Diameter - 1.55m. April 26, 1954 During the test, the "Castle Union" was blown up the device "Alarm Clock" (EC-14) with a content Li6-95%. Energy release - 6.9 MT. Of which 1,6 mТ. (27.5%) were formed by the synthesis reactions. The explosion left at the bottom of the lagoon crater 100m. width and 30m. depth. The mass of the device is 12.5 tons. Length - 3.86 m. Diameter - 1.55m. April 7, 1954 The test "Castle Koon" was conducted during which the Morgenstern product was blown up by the first thermonuclear development of the California Nuclear Center and the last weapon project, over which E.Terler worked. The test was unsuccessful. Instead of planned 1MT. The explosion power amounted to only 110kt. Of which only 10t. For accounted for thermonuclear synthesis. This happened due to the fact that the neutron flux from the trigger reached the second stage, prevailing it and preventing effective compression. The remaining products tested in "Castle" contained Bor-10, which serves as a good neutron absorber and reduced the effect of preheating thermonuclear fuel. May 5, 1954 Castle yankee was performed. The test charge was called "RUNT II" and was a prototype for the EC-24 bomb and the twin "RUNT I". This product was fully similar to the "Romeo", but instead of naturally used enriched (up to 40% Li6) lithium. This gave an increase in power in 2.5mt. The power of the explosion was 13.5 MT. (With the expected 7.5-15 mт.) Of which 6.5 mPs accounted for the synthesis reaction. Mass "RUNT II" 17.8T. Length-5.6m. diameter -1.52m. The inclusion in the chart of testing this charge occurred due to the extraordinary success of the "Castle Romeo" and excluding the tests of the Ramrod and Jughead devices. May 14, 1954 The test of "Castle Nectar" took place during which the product "Zombie" was contacted a prototype of the lightweight thermonuclear tx-15 charge. Compared to the weighing of the remaining charges, this bomb looks very small mass - 2.9t. Power - 1.7 MT, length - 2.8m. The diameter is 0.88 m. It was initially developed as a purely atomic bomb with a power in the cell of hundreds of kilotonne in which the radiation compression of one atomic charge was used. The idea was preserved but the project was added thermonuclear fuel to increase power. As a result, a radiation crimping atomic bomb with armonuclear increase was obtained (80% of energy is allocated due to uranium division). The project won in the weight, but the use of dear and missing in it at that time in due quantities of material - highly enriched lithium constrained its production until 1955. Thus, the United States has already been admitted for weapons in 1954 in the limited number of the first thermonuclear bombs. These were huge and heavy Mastodonts EU-14 ("Alarm Clock") mass 14t. Power 7mt. Received the designation MK.14, EU-17 ("RUNT I") a mass of 19 tons. Power 11 mt. Diameter - 1.6 m. Length - 7.5m received the designation MK.17. These charges are made by series of 5 pcs. In addition, there were 10 charges of EC 24 ("RUNT II") that received the designation MK.24. Thermonuclear bomb MK.17 has become the largest bomb from the USA. To take it in the flight could only B-36. For its operation, special machines, means and fixtures were required. It was possible to put it on the plane only on one airbase, which was extremely inconvenient and reduced the flexibility of using this weapon. Therefore, all five MK.17 were removed from weapons in 1957. After the operation of "Castle", serial production of new thermal charges began to enter in 1955. Serial version "Zombie" ("Castle Nectar") - MK.15 Length - 3.5m. Weight - 3447kg. Power - 1.69mt. In 1955-1957. 1200pcs were made. Removed with weapons in 1965. Mk.21 with a kernel containing 95% lithium-6: Length - 3.75m. Mass - 8t. Power 5mt. In 1955 - 56gg. 275 pcs were made. Removed with weapons in 1957. Heir "Castle Yankee" - MK.24 Length - 7.42m. Massay 19t. Power 15mt. In 1954-55 Made 105pcs. Removed from armediation in 1956. In 1956 The test "Redwing Cherokee" (Further Development of the MK.15 bomb). The energy release was 3.8mt. Weight of 3.1T. Length - 3.45m. Diameter - 0.88m. An important difference between this charge from those experienced earlier, that it was immediately constructively decorated in the form of air bombs and for the first time in the United States was produced by the bombing of the thermonuclear device from the aircraft. The most powerful American bomb was developed under the B-41 program. Works began in 1955. In the Californiaskrm of the Nuclear Center on the basis of the experimental three-stage thermonuclear system developed there. The prototypes of the TX-41 bomb, was assumed in the tests of "Sycamore", "Poplar" and "Pine" operation "HardTack" at the Polygon in the Pacific Ocean, between 31 May and June 27, 1958. Among them were only pure variants. The result was created the most powerful American thermalide bomb MK.41. She had 1,3m width. (1.85m. By tail plumage) with a length of 3.7 m. and mass 4.8t. For the period 1960-62. 500 pcs were made. (removed from weapons in 1976). This three-stage thermonuclear charge was produced in two versions. "Mud" with the shell of the third stage from U-238 - Y1 and "clean" with a lead shell -Y2 with a capacity of less than 10 MT. and 25 mt. respectively. A deuteride of lithium from 95% LI-6 was used as fuel. Among all American projects, the greatest specific energy generation was achieved in this: 5.2 kg / kg. (According to Taylor for thermonuclear weapons, the limit of the charge rate ratio to the mass is about 6 kg / kg.). In 1979 After a severe heart attack, E.Teller made an unexpected statement "... The first design (hydrogen bomb) was created by Dick Garvin." In an interview dedicated to the same topic, Garvin recalled that in 1951. In Los Alamos, Teller ruled him about the scientific idea underlying the creation of a future weapon, and asked to construct a nuclear explosive device. Ray Kidder, one of the founders of atomic weapons commented on this statement as follows: "There has always been an controversial of this type: who had the idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a hydrogen bomb and who created it. Now everything is said. This is extremely plausible and, dare to notice, for sure. " However, among scientists there is no unanimity regarding the contribution of a 23-khletny (at that time, Garvin in the development of the thermonuclear bomb. the USSR As already mentioned the USSR through its agent - English Physics of Claus Fuchs (before his arrest in 1950) received almost all materials on American developments as they say from the "first hands". But he was not the only source and after 1950. The information continued to arrive (may be no quantity). With her, in the strictest mystery, only Kurchatov got acquainted. No one (from physicists) besides him about this information did not know. From the side it looked like a brilliant insight, but to the idea of \u200b\u200busing thermonuclear synthesis for creating bombs, Soviet scientists seemed to have come on their own. In 1946 I. Gurevich, Ya. Zeldovich, I. Pomeranchuk and Y. Khariton passed Kurchatov a joint proposal in the form of an open report. The essence of their proposal was to use the atomic explosion as a detonator to ensure an explosive reaction in deuterium. At the same time, it was emphasized that "the highest possible detection density of detection is desirable", and to facilitate the emergence of nuclear detonation, the use of massive shells that slow down will be useful. Gurevich later called the fact of the impertness of this report "... a visual evidence that we did not know about American developments." But Stalin and Beria in all chased the creation of an atomic bomb and the proposal of little-known scientists did not pay attention. Next, the events developed as follows. In June 1948 According to the Government Decision in Fiana, under the leadership of I.Tamma, a special group was created, which was included by A. Sakharov to whose task was to study the possibility of creating a hydrogen bomb. At the same time, she was charged with checking and clarifying those calculations, which were carried out in the Moscow group Ya. Zelzovich at the Institute of Chemical Physics. It must be said that at that time the group I.Zel is developed a project "Pipe". Already at the end of 1949 Sakharov offered a new model of the hydrogen bomb. It was a heterogeneous design of alternating layers of splitting material and fuel layers of synthesis (deuterium in a mixture with tritium). The scheme received the name of the "puff" or Sakharya-Ginzburg scheme (it is not clear how the "puff" was introduced liquid deuterium and tritium). This model had some drawbacks - the hydrogen component of the bomb was insignificant, which limited the power of the explosion. This power could be a maximum of twenty-forty times higher than the power of the usual plutonium bomb. Also, only tritium was very expensive and a lot of time was required for its production. At proposal V. Ginzburg as a source of deuterium and tritium was used by lithium, which also had additional advantages - the factory aggregate state and low cost. In February 1950. The decision of the USSR Council of Ministers was adopted. The task was made to organize settlement and theoretical, experimental and design work on the creation of products of RDS-6C ("Pear") and RDS-6T ("Pipe"). Thus, we developed two directions in parallel - the "pipe" and "puff". First of all, the RDS-6C product was created by weight up to 5t. To enhance the power in the lithium deride, it was not introduced a large number of tritium. The term of manufacturing the first copy of the RDS-6C product was established - 1954. By May 1, 1952 It should be made by the RDS-6C was tested on August 12, 1953. At the Semipalatinsky landfill, having received the name "JO-4" in the West. It was exactly a moving bomb, and not a stationary device, like Americans. The charge had a somewhat greater weight and the same dimensions as the first Soviet atomic bomb, tested in 1949. The test was solved in stationary conditions on the steel tower with a height of 40m. (The charge was installed at an altitude of 30m.). The explosion power was equivalent to 400ct. With the efficiency of only 15 - 20%. Calculations showed that the bliss of unreacted material prevents the increase in power over 750kt. The output power was distributed as follows 40 CT. - Trigger, 60-80 CT. Synthesis, the rest is the division of the shells from U-238. L. Foktists remembers: "In 1953 We ... were sure that ... "Puffer" we not only catch up, but even distilling America. ... Of course, we already heard about the test "Mike", but ... at that time we thought that the rich Americans blew off the "house" with liquid deuterium ... according to the scheme close to the "pipe" Zeldovich ". The bomb had two essential drawbacks due to the presence of tritium - high price and limited (up to six months) shelf life. In the following tritium, they refused, which led to some reduction in power. The test of the new charge was held on November 6, 1955. And for the first time, the alga bomb was reset from the aircraft. In early 1954 A special meeting was held at the Ministry of Middle Machinery with the participation of the Minister V. Malyshev on the "pipe". It was decided to complete the futility of this area (in the United States to the same conclusion came back in 1950). Further studies focused on the fact that we got the name of "atomic compression" (JSC) the idea of \u200b\u200bwhich was to use for the compression of the main charge not products of the explosion, but radiation (Ulam-Teller scheme). In this regard, January 14, 1954 Zeldovich his own wrote a note by Hariton, accompanying it with an explanatory scheme: "In this note, a preliminary scheme of the device for JSC suprames and estimated calculations of its action is reported. The use of JSC was proposed by V. Davidenko. " In his "memories", Sakharov noted that for this idea "... at the same time several employees of our theoretical departments came. One of them was ... But also, undoubtedly, the role of Zeldovich, Trutnev and some ... "was very great. By the beginning of the summer, 1955 Theoretical work was completed, the report was issued. But the manufacture of experimental charge ended only by autumn. He was successfully tested on November 22, 1955. It was the first Soviet two-stage hydrogen bomb of small power, which received the designation of RDS-37. When it was tested, it was necessary to replace part of the thermonuclear fuel to the inert substance to reduce the power for the sake of the aircraft and the residential town, which was at a time at 70km. From the explosion place. The power of the explosion was 1,6 md. The decision to create a hydrogen bomb with a capacity of 100 mТ. Khrushchev accepted in 1961. In order to show the imperialists "Kuzkin Mother". Prior to that, a maximum charge, tested in the USSR, a capacity of 2.9 MT. To develop the device that received the designation A602En, the Sakharov group began immediately after the meeting with Khrushchev on July 10, 1961. on which it was announced the beginning of the autumn 1961. Series tests of devices in 4, 10 and 12.5 mT. Development went accelerated pace. From the preparing test did not make secrets. Public statement about the planned supervisor was made by Khrushchev on September 1, 1961. (On the same day, the first test of the series). The nuclear charge was developed in VNIIEF (Arzamas-16), a bomb was gathered in RFTUC-VNIITF (Chelyabinsk-70). The bomb had a three-step scheme. About 50% of the power was provided by the thermonuclear part, and 50% is the division of the corps of the third and second steps from uranium-238. For tests it was decided to limit the maximum capacity of the bomb to 50 MT. For this, the uranium shell of the third stage was replaced with lead that reduced the contribution of the uranium part from 51.5 to 1.5 MT. To ensure safe (for the crew) of the use of "SuperBube" from the carrier aircraft in the Research Institute of Parachute-landing systems, a braking parachute system was created with a reservoir of the main dome of 1600 sq.m. The bomb has a length of about 8 m. The diameter is about 2 m. Mass 27t. The load of such dimensions was not placed in any of the existing bombardes and only Tu-95 at the limit of loading capacity could raise it into the air. But in Egov Bombotsek, the bomb did not fit. At the factory, the Tu-95 strategic bomber has been refined, cutting part of the fuselage and still in flight bomb more than half braided. Such a suspension and considerable weight of the cargo led to the fact that the plane was strongly shown in the range and speed - becoming almost unfastened to combat use. The entire housing of the aircraft, even the blades of its screws, were covered with a special white paint that protects against light flash when the explosion.
Everything was ready after 112 days after meeting with Khrushchev. On the morning of October 30, 1961 Tu-95 rose into the air and took the course to a new land. The crew of the aircraft was commanded by Major A. Pernovtsev (after the test, he received the title of the Hero of the USSR and the increase to lieutenant colonel). The bomb separated at an altitude of 10500m. and decreased on slowing parachute to 4000m. During the fall, the plane managed to retire on a relatively safe distance in 40-50km. The explosion occurred at 11:32 Moscow time. The outbreak was so bright that it could be observed from a distance of 1000 km. A powerful roar was heard at a 300-kilometer removal. A luminous fireball reached the earth and sized about 10 km. in diameter. The Gigan Mushroom rose to a height of 65 km. After the explosion due to the ionization of the atmosphere for 40 minutes. Radio messages were interrupted with new land. The zone of complete destruction was a circle in 25km. in a radius 40km. Wooden and strongly damaged stone houses were destroyed, 60 km away. It was possible to get burns of the third degree (with the first-axis of the upper layers of the skin), and the windows, doors, roofs broke at large distances. At full capacity 100 mt. The full destruction zone would have a radius of 35 km. The zone of serious damage is 50 km. The burns of the third degree could be olkin at a distance of 77 km. With full confidence it can be argued that the use of such weapons in military conditions was impossible and the test had a purely political and psychological meaning. Further work on the bomb was terminated by the serial production was not conducted. United Kingdom In the UK, the development of thermonuclear weapons was launched in 1954. In Alder-Maston, the group under the leadership of Sir William Pennea, who had previously participated in the Man Hatten project in the United States. In general, the awareness of the British side on a thermal nuclear issue was at a very similar level, since the United States was not shared by information, referring to the Law on Atomic Energy 1946. In 1957 The UK conducted a series of tests on Christmas islands in the Pacific Ocean under the general name "Operation Grapple" (Fight Operation). The first under the name "Short Granite" (fragile granite) was tested by an experimental thermalide device with a capacity of about 300KT. It is significantly weaker than Soviet and Amechnikan analogues. During the test "Orange Herald" (orange messenger), the most powerful one of the ever-created atomic bomb was blown up with a capacity of 700ct. Almost all witnesses of the tests (including the crew of the aircraft who dropped it) believed that it was a thermonuclear bomb. The bomb was too expensive in production, since it consists of 117kg. Plutonium, and the annual production of plutonium in Greatania was 120 kg at that time. In September 1957 The second series of tests was performed. The first in the test called "Grapple X Round" on November 8, a two-stage device was blown up with a small termanuclear charge. The power of the explosion was approximately 1.8 MT. April 28, 1958 During the tests "Grapple Y" over the Island of Christmas, the most powerful British thermonuclear bomb with a capacity of 3 MT was reset. On September 2, 1958, a lightweight version of this device with a capacity of about 1.2 MT was blown up. On September 11, 1958, during the last test under the name "Halliard 1", a three-stage device was blown up with a capacity of about 800ct. France During the tests "Canopus" in French Polynesia in August 1968, France blew up the thermalide device of type "Teller-Ulam" with a capacity of about 2,6 mТ. Learn about the development of the French program is little known. These are photographs of testing of the first French thermonuclear bomb.


China PRC experienced its first thermalide device such as Teler-Ulam with a capacity of 3.31 mТ. In June 1967 (Also, also under the name "Test number 6"). The test was conducted after only 32 months after the explosion of the first Chinese atomic bomb, which is an example of the rapid development of the national nuclear program from the response of splitting to synthesis. This was made possible thanks to the United States from where at that time were sent on suspicion of espionage people who worked out Chinese physics there.

On August 12, 1953, the first Soviet hydrogen bomb was tested at the Semipalatinsk landfill.

And on January 16, 1963, in the midst of the Cold War, Nikita Khrushchev He stated the world that the Soviet Union had a new weapon of mass lesion in his arsenal. Once a year and a half before that, the most powerful explosion of the hydrogen bomb was produced in the USSR - the charge of over 50 megaton was blown up on the new Earth. In many ways, this statement of the Soviet leader forced the world to realize the threat of further escalation of the nuclear weapons race: already on August 5, 1963, an agreement was signed on the prohibition of nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere, outer space and under water.

History of creation

The theoretical possibility of obtaining energy by thermonuclear synthesis was known before the Second World War, but it was the war and the subsequent arms race set a question about creating a technical device for the practical creation of this reaction. It is known that in Germany in 1944 work was carried out to initiate thermonuclear synthesis by compressing nuclear fuel using the charges of a conventional explosive - but they were not crowned with success, since it was not possible to obtain the necessary temperatures and pressure. The United States and the USSR conducted the development of thermonuclear weapons since the 40s, almost simultaneously experiencing the first thermonuclear devices at the beginning of the 50s. In 1952, an explosion of 10.4 megatons was an explosion of a 10.4 megaton (which 450 times the capacity of the bomb dropped on Nagasaki 450 times), and in 1953, a 400 kiloton device was tested in the USSR.

The design of the first thermonuclear devices were poorly fit for real combat use. For example, the device tested by the United States in 1952 was a ground construction with a 2-storey house and weighing over 80 tons. Liquid thermonuclear fuel stored in it with a huge refrigeration unit. Therefore, in the future, mass production of thermonuclear weapons was carried out using solid fuel - deuteride lithium-6. In 1954, the United States experienced a device based on the Bikini Atoll, and in 1955 a new Soviet termanuclear bomb was tested at the Semipalatinian landfill. In 1957, the testing of the hydrogen bomb was carried out in the UK. In October 1961, the Thermonuclear bomb with a capacity of 58 megaton was blown up in the USSR in the New Earth - the most powerful bomb from ever tested by mankind, which became a story called "Tsar Bomb".

Further development was aimed at reducing the size of the design of hydrogen bombs to ensure their delivery to the target ballistic missiles. Already in the 60s, the mass of devices was able to reduce to several hundred kilograms, and by the 70s, ballistic missiles could carry over 10 warheads at the same time, these are rockets with separating head units, each of the parts may affect its own goal. To date, the Thermonuclear Arsenal possesses the United States, Russia and the United Kingdom, the tests of thermonuclear charges were also held in China (in 1967) and in France (in 1968).

The principle of the hydrogen bomb

The effect of the hydrogen bomb is based on the use of energy released in the reaction of thermonuclear fusion synthesis of lung nuclei. It is this reaction that flows in the depths of the stars, where under the action of ultra-high temperatures and the giant pressure of the hydrogen nucleus faces and merge into the hardening kernel of helium. During the reaction, part of the mass of the hydrogen nuclei turns into a large amount of energy - thanks to this, the stars and highlight a huge amount of energy constantly. Scientists copied this reaction using hydrogen isotopes - deuterium and tritium, which gave the name "Hydrogen Bomb". Initially, liquid hydrogen isotopes were used to produce charges, and afterwards, Lithium-6 deuteride was used, solid substance, Deuterium compound and lithium isotope.

Deuteride Lithium-6 is the main component of the hydrogen bomb, thermonuclear fuel. It is already stored deuterium, and lithium isotope serves as raw materials for education tritium. To begin the reaction of thermonuclear synthesis required to create high temperatures and pressure, as well as allocate from lithium-6 tritium. These conditions are provided as follows.

The shell of the container for thermonuclear fuel is made from uranium-238 and plastic, next to the container placed the usual nuclear charge of a power of several kilotons - it is called a trigger, or the initiator charge of the hydrogen bomb. During the explosion of a plutonium charge-initiator under the action of a powerful X-ray radiation, the container shell turns into a plasma, compressing thousands of times, which creates the necessary high pressure and a huge temperature. At the same time, neutrons emitted by plutonium interact with Lithium-6, forming tritium. The deuterium and tritium nuclei interact under the action of ultra-high temperature and pressure, which leads to thermonuclear explosion.

If you make several layers of uranium-238 and deuteride lithium-6, then each of them will add its capacity to an explosion of a bomb - that is, such a "puff" allows you to increase the power of the explosion almost unlimited. Thanks to this, a hydrogen bomb can be made almost any power, and it will be much cheaper than the usual nuclear bomb of the same power.

Atomic bomb and hydrogen bombs are a powerful weapon that uses nuclear reactions as a source of explosive energy. Scientists for the first time developed the technology of nuclear weapons during World War II.

Atomic bombs B. real War Used only twice, and both times with the United States - against Japan at the end of World War II. After the war, the period of the spread of nuclear weapons was followed, and during the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union fought for domination in the global rice of nuclear weapons.

What is a hydrogen bomb, as it works, the principle of action of thermonuclear charge and when the first tests were carried out in the USSR - written below.

How the atomic bomb is arranged

After in Berlin, in 1938, the German physicists Otto Khan, Lisa Meiter and Fritz Strasman opened the phenomenon of nuclear fission, there was the possibility of creating weapons of extraordinary power.

When an atom of a radioactive material is split into lighter atoms, a sudden, powerful energy release occurs.

The opening of nuclear division opened the possibility of using nuclear technologies, including weapons.

Atomic bomb - a weapon that receives its explosive energy only from the fission reaction.

The principle of operation of a hydrogen bomb or armonuclear charge is based on combinations of nuclear fission and nuclear synthesis.

Nuclear synthesis is another type of reaction in which lighter atoms are combined to release energy. For example, as a result of the reaction of nuclear synthesis from atoms of deuterium and tritium, an atom of a heale of energy is formed.

Project "Manhattan"

The project "Manhattan" is the code name of the American project to develop a practical atomic bomb during World War II. The Manhattan project was launched as an answer to the efforts of German scientists who worked on weapons using nuclear technologySince the 1930s.

On December 28, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt sanctioned the creation of the Manhattan Project to unite various scientists and military officials working on nuclear research.

Most of the work was performed in Los Alamos, New Mexico, under the leadership of the physicist-theorist J. Robert Oppenheimer.

On July 16, 1945, in a remote deserted place near Alamogordo, New Mexico, the first atomic bomb, equivalent to the power of 20 kilotons of TNT, was successfully tested. The explosion of the hydrogen bomb created a huge mushroom-like cloud with a height of about 150 meters and opened the atomic age.

The only photo of the world's first atomic explosion made by American physicist Jack Abyg

Kid and fat man

Scientists from Los Alamos developed two different types of atomic bombs by 1945 - a project based on uranium called "Baby" and Plutonium-based weapons called "Tolstik".

While the war in Europe ended in April, the fighting in the Pacific continued between the Japanese troops and the US troops.

At the end of July, President Harry Truman called for Japan's surrender in the Potsdam Declaration. The declaration promised "fast and complete destruction" if Japan did not give up.

On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped its first atomic bomb from the B-29 bomber called "Enola Gay" in the Japanese city of Hiroshima.

The "kid" explosion corresponded to 13 kilotons in Troatil equivalent, compared to the Earth five square miles of the city and instantly killed 80,000 people. Tens of thousands of people will later die from radiation irradiation.

The Japanese continued to fight, and the United States dropped the second atomic bomb in three days in the city of Nagasaki. The explosion "fat man" killed about 40,000 people.

Referring to the devastating power of the "new and most cruel bomb", the Japanese emperor Hirokhito announced the surrender of his country on August 15, having finished the second world war.

Cold War

IN post-war years The United States was the only country with nuclear weapon. At first, the USSR lacked scientific developments and raw materials to create nuclear warheads.

But, thanks to the efforts of Soviet scientists, the intelligence data and detected regional sources of uranium in Eastern Europe, on August 29, 1949, the USSR tried its first nuclear bomb. The hydrogen bomb device is developed by Academician Sakharov.

From atomic weapons to thermonuclear

The United States responded in 1950 by the launch of a program of developing more advanced thermonuclear weapons. The arms race "Cold War" began, and nuclear tests and studies have become large-scale goals for several countries, especially for the United States and the Soviet Union.

this year, the United States conducted an explosion of the thermonuclear bomb with a capacity of 10 megatons in Troatil equivalent

1955 - the USSR replied to his first thermonuclear test - just 1.6 megaton. But the main successes of the Soviet MCC were ahead. Only in 1958 the USSR experienced 36 nuclear bombs of various classes. But nothing of what Soviet Union experienced does not compare with the king - bomb.

Testing and first pouring of the hydrogen bomb in the USSR

On the morning of October 30, 1961, the Soviet bomber Tu-95 took off from a deer airfield on the Kola Peninsula in the Far North of Russia.

The plane was a specially modified version that appeared in operation for several years ago - a huge four-dimensive monster, who was entrusted to worry the Soviet nuclear arsenal.

Modified version of the Tu-95 "Bear", specially prepared for the first test of the hydrogen tsar bomb in the USSR

The Tu-95 used under it is a huge 58 megaton bomb, the device is too large to accommodate inside a bomb compartment of the aircraft, where such ammunition is usually transported. A bomb of a length of 8 m had a diameter of about 2.6 m and weighed more than 27 tons and remained in history with the name of the king bomb - "Tsar Bomba".

The king bomb was not an ordinary nuclear bomb. It was the result of the intense efforts of the USSR scientists to create the most powerful nuclear weapon.

Tupolev reached its target point - New Earth, Malconed archipelago in the Barents Sea, over the frozen northern edges of the USSR.

Tsar Bomb exploded at 11:32 Moscow time. The results of the testing of the hydrogen bomb in the USSR demonstrated the entire bouquet of affluent factors of this type of weapon. Before answering the question, it should be more powerful, a nuclear or hydrogen bomb should be aware that the latter's power is played with megatons, and at atomic kilotons.

Light radiation

In the blink of an eye, the bomb created a fiery ball width of seven kilometers. Fiery ball pulsed from the strength of his own shock wave. The outbreak could be seen thousands of kilometers - in Alaska, Siberia and in Northern Europe.

Shock wave

The consequences of the explosion of the hydrogen bomb of the new Earth were catastrophic. In the village of North, about 55 km from Ground Zero, all houses were completely destroyed. It was reported that in the Soviet territory in hundreds of kilometers from the explosion zone, everything was damaged - the houses were destroyed, the roofs fell, the doors were damaged, the windows were destroyed.

The radius of the hydrogen bomb is several hundred kilometers.

Depending on the power of charge and affecting factors.

Sensors recorded an explosive wave, which turned around the Earth more than once, not twice, and three times. Sound wave They recorded at Dixon Island at a distance of about 800 km.

Electromagnetic impulse

For more than an hour, radio communication in the entire Arctic was broken.

Penetrating radiation

Received some dose of radiation crew.

Radioactive locality infection

An explosion of the king bomb on the new land was surprisingly "clean". Tests arrived at the explosion point in two hours. The level of radiation in this place has not represented a great danger - no more than 1 mp / hour within a radius of just 2-3 km. The reasons were the features of the bomb design and the execution of the explosion at a fairly large distance from the surface.

Heat radiation

Despite the fact that the carrier aircraft, covered with a special light and heat-reflecting paint, at the time of the bomb under the distance left 45 km away, it returned to the base with significant thermal damage to the skin. In an unprotected person, radiation would cause third degree burns at a distance of up to 100 km.

	The mushroom after the explosion is visible at a distance of 160 km, the diameter of the cloud at the time of shooting - 56 km
	Flash from the explosion of the king bomb, about 8 km in diameter

The principle of the hydrogen bomb

Device of a hydrogen bomb.

The primary stage acts as a trigger switch. The fission reaction of plutonium in the trigger initiates the aimonuclear synthesis reaction in the secondary stage at which the temperature inside the bomb instantly reaches 300 million ° C. Thermonuclear explosion occurs. The first test of the hydrogen bomb shocked the world community with its destructive power.

Video explosion on the nuclear landfill