Student-level numerical simulation of conditions inside an exploding fission-bomb core
Author(s)
Bruce Cameron Reed
ABSTRACT
This paper describes a freely-available spread-sheet that has been developed to simulate the conditions of reaction rate, core acceleration and velocity, energy generation, and pressure within a detonating fission-bomb core. When applied to a model of the Hiroshima Little Boy bomb, the spreadsheet predicts a yield of 12.7 kilotons, a figure in reasonable agreement with published values.
This paper describes a freely-available spread-sheet that has been developed to simulate the conditions of reaction rate, core acceleration and velocity, energy generation, and pressure within a detonating fission-bomb core. When applied to a model of the Hiroshima Little Boy bomb, the spreadsheet predicts a yield of 12.7 kilotons, a figure in reasonable agreement with published values.
Cite this paper
Reed, B. (2010) Student-level numerical simulation of conditions inside an exploding fission-bomb core. Natural Science, 2, 139-144. doi: 10.4236/ns.2010.23023.
Reed, B. (2010) Student-level numerical simulation of conditions inside an exploding fission-bomb core. Natural Science, 2, 139-144. doi: 10.4236/ns.2010.23023.
References
[1] Reed, C. (2007) Arthur Compton’s 1941 report on explo-sive fission of U-235: A look at the physics. American Journal of Physics, 75(12), 1065-1072. [2] Reed, C. (2009) A brief primer on tamped fission-bomb cores. American Journal of Physics, 77(8), 730-733. [3] http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq8.html [4] Serber, R. (1992) The Los Alamos primer: The first lec-tures on how to build an atomic bomb. University of California, Berkeley, CA, 12. [5] Penney, L., Samuels, D.E.J. and Scorgie, G.C. (1970) The Nuclear Explosive Yields at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of Lon-don, A266, 357-424.
[1] Reed, C. (2007) Arthur Compton’s 1941 report on explo-sive fission of U-235: A look at the physics. American Journal of Physics, 75(12), 1065-1072. [2] Reed, C. (2009) A brief primer on tamped fission-bomb cores. American Journal of Physics, 77(8), 730-733. [3] http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq8.html [4] Serber, R. (1992) The Los Alamos primer: The first lec-tures on how to build an atomic bomb. University of California, Berkeley, CA, 12. [5] Penney, L., Samuels, D.E.J. and Scorgie, G.C. (1970) The Nuclear Explosive Yields at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of Lon-don, A266, 357-424.