Uranium Hydride Bomb - Theory

Theory

See also: Nuclear weapon design

The hydrogen in uranium hydride (UH3) or plutonium hydride moderates (slows) the neutrons, thereby increasing the nuclear cross section for neutron absorption. The result would be a lower required critical mass, thereby reducing the amount of pure U235 or plutonium needed for an explosion. The result was that the slower neutrons delayed the reaction time too much, and reduced the efficiency of the weapon. It increased the time between subsequent neutron generation events necessary for rapid explosion. It creates a problem in the containment of the explosion; the inertia that is used to confine implosion type bombs will not be able to confine the reaction. The end result may be a fizzle instead of a bang. The predicted energy yield would be 1000 tons TNT equivalent.

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