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I am concerned about this article. It addresses the mass of fissile materials needed to “make a bomb,” yet it’s clear that the critical masses given–10 kilograms for plutonium-239, 50 kg for uranium-235, and 60 kg for neptunium-237–are for bare spheres with no neutron moderation, reflection, or other factors contributing to going critical. Consider that […]
By Science News -
PhysicsNeptunium Nukes? Little-studied metal goes critical
Researchers have measured with far greater accuracy than ever before how much neptunium it would take to make a bomb.
By Peter Weiss -
PhysicsMagnetic snap gives ions extra pop
Magnetic fields pump heat into ions when field lines of opposite orientation snap and reconnect.