Abstract
The basic nuclear weapon is the fission bomb, or A-bomb (A for atomic) as it was first called. A fission chain reaction is used to produce a very large amount of energy in a very short time — roughly a millionth of a second — and therefore a very powerful explosion.
To understand the role of plutonium in nuclear weapons some knowledge of their design is desirable. A brief description of nuclear weapons follows.
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Notes
Margaret Gowing, Independence and Deterrence: Britain and Atomic Energy, 1945–52 (London: Macmillan, 1974).
J. Rotblat, Nuclear Radiation in Warfare (London: Taylor & Francis, 1981).
Chuck Hansen, U.S. Nuclear Weapons; The Secret History (New York: Orion, 1988).
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© 1992 Frank Barnaby
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Barnaby, F. (1992). Types of Nuclear Weapon. In: Barnaby, F. (eds) Plutonium and Security. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11693-5_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11693-5_14
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-11695-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-11693-5
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