Kort oppsummert: Modern nuclear weapons work slightly differently. Critical mass depends on the density of the material: as the density in creases, the critical mass de creases. Instead of colliding two sub-critical pieces of nuclear fuel, modern weapons detonate chemical explosives around a sub-critical sphere (or “pit”) of uranium-235 or plutonium-239 metal. The force from the blast is directed inward, compressing the pit and bringing its atoms closer together. Once dense enough to reach the critical mass, neutrons are injected, initiating a fission chain reaction and producing an atomic explosion.
In fusion weapons (also called “thermonuclear” or “hydrogen” weapons), the energy from an initial fission explosion is used to “fuse” hydrogen isotopes together. The energy released by the weapon creates a fireball that reaches several tens of million degrees—temperatures in the same range as the center of the sun (which also runs on fusion).
Det er en ganske presis prosess som må skje inne i atomstridshodet, sjansen for at det skjer ved en eksplosjon utenfra er nok tilnærmet 0.
Hvis Ukraina får såpass kontroll på innkommende missiler at de kan være ganske sikre mot atomangrep, så er det egentlig bare trusselen mot de allierte som holder Ukraina tilbake fra å kunne ta Russland.
requests it, USA
is ready to deliver an Iron Dome Air Defense System to defend against Russian missiles and drones, said Lt General Daniel Karbler, the US Army’s Commanding General for Space and Missile Defense, to the Senate last week, reports the Jerusalem Post