Atomic hydrogen bomb. Who invented the atomic bomb? History of the invention and creation of the Soviet atomic bomb

The hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb became the cornerstone of the arms race between the USA and the USSR. The two superpowers argued for several years about who would become the first owner of a new type of destructive weapon.

Thermonuclear weapon project

At the beginning of the Cold War, the test of a hydrogen bomb was the most important argument for the leadership of the USSR in the fight against the United States. Moscow wanted to achieve nuclear parity with Washington and invested huge amounts of money in the arms race. However, work on creating a hydrogen bomb began not thanks to generous funding, but because of reports from secret agents in America. In 1945, the Kremlin learned that the United States was preparing to create a new weapon. It was a superbomb, the project of which was called Super.

The source of valuable information was Klaus Fuchs, an employee of the Los Alamos National Laboratory in the USA. He provided the Soviet Union with specific information regarding the secret American development of a superbomb. By 1950, the Super project was thrown into the trash, as it became clear to Western scientists that such a new weapon scheme could not be implemented. The director of this program was Edward Teller.

In 1946, Klaus Fuchs and John developed the ideas of the Super project and patented their own system. The principle of radioactive implosion was fundamentally new in it. In the USSR, this scheme began to be considered a little later - in 1948. In general, we can say that at the starting stage it was completely based on American information received by intelligence. But by continuing research based on these materials, Soviet scientists were noticeably ahead of their Western colleagues, which allowed the USSR to obtain first the first, and then the most powerful thermonuclear bomb.

On December 17, 1945, at a meeting of a special committee created under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, nuclear physicists Yakov Zeldovich, Isaac Pomeranchuk and Julius Hartion made a report “Use of nuclear energy of light elements.” This paper examined the possibility of using a deuterium bomb. This speech marked the beginning of the Soviet nuclear program.

In 1946, theoretical research was carried out at the Institute of Chemical Physics. The first results of this work were discussed at one of the meetings of the Scientific and Technical Council in the First Main Directorate. Two years later, Lavrentiy Beria instructed Kurchatov and Khariton to analyze materials about the von Neumann system, which were delivered to the Soviet Union thanks to secret agents in the West. Data from these documents gave additional impetus to the research that led to the birth of the RDS-6 project.

"Evie Mike" and "Castle Bravo"

On November 1, 1952, the Americans tested the world's first thermonuclear device. It was not yet a bomb, but already its most important component. The explosion occurred on Enivotek Atoll, in the Pacific Ocean. and Stanislav Ulam (each of them actually the creator of the hydrogen bomb) had recently developed a two-stage design, which the Americans tested. The device could not be used as a weapon, as it was produced using deuterium. In addition, it was distinguished by its enormous weight and dimensions. Such a projectile simply could not be dropped from an airplane.

The first hydrogen bomb was tested by Soviet scientists. After the United States learned about the successful use of the RDS-6s, it became clear that it was necessary to close the gap with the Russians in the arms race as quickly as possible. The American test took place on March 1, 1954. The Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands was chosen as the test site. The Pacific archipelagos were not chosen by chance. There was almost no population here (and the few people who lived on the nearby islands were evicted on the eve of the experiment).

The Americans' most destructive hydrogen bomb explosion became known as Castle Bravo. The charge power turned out to be 2.5 times higher than expected. The explosion led to radiation contamination of a large area (many islands and the Pacific Ocean), which led to a scandal and a revision of the nuclear program.

Development of RDS-6s

The project of the first Soviet thermonuclear bomb was called RDS-6s. The plan was written by the outstanding physicist Andrei Sakharov. In 1950, the USSR Council of Ministers decided to concentrate work on the creation of new weapons in KB-11. According to this decision, a group of scientists led by Igor Tamm went to the closed Arzamas-16.

The Semipalatinsk test site was prepared especially for this grandiose project. Before the hydrogen bomb test began, numerous measuring, filming and recording instruments were installed there. In addition, on behalf of scientists, almost two thousand indicators appeared there. The area affected by the hydrogen bomb test included 190 structures.

The Semipalatinsk experiment was unique not only because of the new type of weapon. Unique intakes designed for chemical and radioactive samples were used. Only a powerful shock wave could open them. Recording and filming instruments were installed in specially prepared fortified structures on the surface and in underground bunkers.

Alarm Clock

Back in 1946, Edward Teller, who worked in the USA, developed a prototype of the RDS-6s. It's called Alarm Clock. The project for this device was originally proposed as an alternative to the Super. In April 1947, a series of experiments began at the Los Alamos laboratory designed to study the nature of thermonuclear principles.

Scientists expected the greatest energy release from Alarm Clock. In the fall, Teller decided to use lithium deuteride as fuel for the device. The researchers had not yet used this substance, but expected that it would improve efficiency. Interestingly, Teller already noted in his memos the dependence of the nuclear program on the further development of computers. This technique was necessary for scientists to make more accurate and complex calculations.

Alarm Clock and RDS-6s had much in common, but they also differed in many ways. The American version was not as practical as the Soviet one due to its size. It inherited its large size from the Super project. In the end, the Americans had to abandon this development. The last studies took place in 1954, after which it became clear that the project was unprofitable.

Explosion of the first thermonuclear bomb

The first test of a hydrogen bomb in human history occurred on August 12, 1953. In the morning, a bright flash appeared on the horizon, which was blinding even through protective glasses. The RDS-6s explosion turned out to be 20 times more powerful than an atomic bomb. The experiment was considered successful. Scientists were able to achieve an important technological breakthrough. For the first time, lithium hydride was used as a fuel. Within a radius of 4 kilometers from the epicenter of the explosion, the wave destroyed all buildings.

Subsequent tests of the hydrogen bomb in the USSR were based on the experience gained using the RDS-6s. This destructive weapon was not only the most powerful. An important advantage of the bomb was its compactness. The projectile was placed in a Tu-16 bomber. Success allowed Soviet scientists to get ahead of the Americans. In the United States at that time there was a thermonuclear device the size of a house. It was not transportable.

When Moscow announced that the USSR's hydrogen bomb was ready, Washington disputed this information. The main argument of the Americans was the fact that the thermonuclear bomb should be made according to the Teller-Ulam scheme. It was based on the principle of radiation implosion. This project will be implemented in the USSR two years later, in 1955.

Physicist Andrei Sakharov made the greatest contribution to the creation of RDS-6s. The hydrogen bomb was his brainchild - it was he who proposed the revolutionary technical solutions that made it possible to successfully complete tests at the Semipalatinsk test site. Young Sakharov immediately became an academician at the USSR Academy of Sciences, a Hero of Socialist Labor and a laureate of awards and medals. Other scientists also received awards: Yuli Khariton, Kirill Shchelkin, Yakov Zeldovich, Nikolai Dukhov, etc. In 1953, the test of a hydrogen bomb showed that Soviet science could to overcome what until recently seemed fiction and fantasy. Therefore, immediately after the successful explosion of the RDS-6s, the development of even more powerful projectiles began.

RDS-37

On November 20, 1955, the next tests of a hydrogen bomb took place in the USSR. This time it was two-stage and corresponded to the Teller-Ulam scheme. The RDS-37 bomb was about to be dropped from an airplane. However, when it took off, it became clear that the tests would have to be carried out in an emergency situation. Contrary to weather forecasters, the weather deteriorated noticeably, causing dense clouds to cover the training ground.

For the first time, experts were forced to land a plane with a thermonuclear bomb on board. For some time there was a discussion at the Central Command Post about what to do next. A proposal to drop a bomb in the mountains nearby was considered, but this option was rejected as too risky. Meanwhile, the plane continued to circle near the test site, running out of fuel.

Zeldovich and Sakharov received the final word. A hydrogen bomb that exploded outside of the test site would have led to disaster. The scientists understood the full extent of the risk and their own responsibility, and yet they gave written confirmation that the plane would be safe to land. Finally, the commander of the Tu-16 crew, Fyodor Golovashko, received the command to land. The landing was very smooth. The pilots showed all their skills and did not panic in a critical situation. The maneuver was perfect. The Central Command Post breathed a sigh of relief.

The creator of the hydrogen bomb, Sakharov, and his team survived the tests. The second attempt was scheduled for November 22. On this day everything went without any emergency situations. The bomb was dropped from a height of 12 kilometers. While the shell was falling, the plane managed to move to a safe distance from the epicenter of the explosion. A few minutes later, the nuclear mushroom reached a height of 14 kilometers, and its diameter was 30 kilometers.

The explosion was not without tragic incidents. The shock wave shattered glass at a distance of 200 kilometers, causing several injuries. A girl who lived in a neighboring village also died when the ceiling collapsed on her. Another victim was a soldier who was in a special holding area. The soldier fell asleep in the dugout and died of suffocation before his comrades could pull him out.

Development of the Tsar Bomba

In 1954, the country's best nuclear physicists, under the leadership, began developing the most powerful thermonuclear bomb in the history of mankind. Andrei Sakharov, Viktor Adamsky, Yuri Babaev, Yuri Smirnov, Yuri Trutnev, etc. also took part in this project. Due to its power and size, the bomb became known as the “Tsar Bomba”. Project participants later recalled that this phrase appeared after Khrushchev’s famous statement about “Kuzka’s mother” at the UN. Officially, the project was called AN602.

Over seven years of development, the bomb went through several reincarnations. At first, scientists planned to use components from uranium and the Jekyll-Hyde reaction, but later this idea had to be abandoned due to the danger of radioactive contamination.

Test on Novaya Zemlya

For some time, the Tsar Bomba project was frozen, as Khrushchev was going to the United States, and there was a short pause in the Cold War. In 1961, the conflict between the countries flared up again and in Moscow they again remembered thermonuclear weapons. Khrushchev announced the upcoming tests in October 1961 during the XXII Congress of the CPSU.

On the 30th, a Tu-95B with a bomb on board took off from Olenya and headed for Novaya Zemlya. The plane took two hours to reach its destination. Another Soviet hydrogen bomb was dropped at an altitude of 10.5 thousand meters above the Sukhoi Nos nuclear test site. The shell exploded while still in the air. A fireball appeared, which reached a diameter of three kilometers and almost touched the ground. According to scientists' calculations, the seismic wave from the explosion crossed the planet three times. The impact was felt a thousand kilometers away, and everything living at a distance of a hundred kilometers could receive third-degree burns (this did not happen, since the area was uninhabited).

At that time, the most powerful US thermonuclear bomb was four times less powerful than the Tsar Bomba. The Soviet leadership was pleased with the result of the experiment. Moscow got what it wanted from the next hydrogen bomb. The test demonstrated that the USSR had weapons much more powerful than the United States. Subsequently, the destructive record of the “Tsar Bomba” was never broken. The most powerful hydrogen bomb explosion was a major milestone in the history of science and the Cold War.

Thermonuclear weapons of other countries

British development of the hydrogen bomb began in 1954. The project manager was William Penney, who had previously been a participant in the Manhattan Project in the USA. The British had crumbs of information about the structure of thermonuclear weapons. American allies did not share this information. In Washington, they referred to the atomic energy law passed in 1946. The only exception for the British was permission to observe the tests. They also used aircraft to collect samples left behind by American shell explosions.

At first, London decided to limit itself to creating a very powerful atomic bomb. Thus began the Orange Messenger trials. During them, the most powerful non-thermonuclear bomb in human history was dropped. Its disadvantage was its excessive cost. On November 8, 1957, a hydrogen bomb was tested. The history of the creation of the British two-stage device is an example of successful progress in conditions of lagging behind two superpowers that were arguing among themselves.

The hydrogen bomb appeared in China in 1967, in France in 1968. Thus, today there are five states in the club of countries possessing thermonuclear weapons. Information about the hydrogen bomb in North Korea remains controversial. The head of the DPRK stated that his scientists were able to develop such a projectile. During the tests, seismologists from different countries recorded seismic activity caused by a nuclear explosion. But there is still no concrete information about the hydrogen bomb in the DPRK.

There are two key areas in the area of a nuclear explosion: the center and the epicenter. At the center of the explosion, the process of energy release directly occurs. The epicenter is the projection of this process onto the earth or water surface. The energy of a nuclear explosion, projected onto the ground, can lead to seismic tremors that spread over a considerable distance. These tremors cause harm to the environment only within a radius of several hundred meters from the point of explosion.

Damaging factors

Atomic weapons have the following destruction factors:

Radioactive contamination.
Light radiation.
Shock wave.
Electromagnetic pulse.
Penetrating radiation.

The consequences of an atomic bomb explosion are disastrous for all living things. Due to the release of a huge amount of light and heat energy, the explosion of a nuclear projectile is accompanied by a bright flash. The power of this flash is several times stronger than the sun's rays, so there is a danger of damage from light and thermal radiation within a radius of several kilometers from the point of the explosion.

Another dangerous damaging factor of atomic weapons is the radiation generated during the explosion. It lasts only a minute after the explosion, but has maximum penetrating power.

The shock wave has a very strong destructive effect. She literally wipes out everything that stands in her way. Penetrating radiation poses a danger to all living beings. In humans, it causes the development of radiation sickness. Well, an electromagnetic pulse only harms technology. Taken together, the damaging factors of an atomic explosion pose a huge danger.

First tests

Throughout the history of the atomic bomb, America showed the greatest interest in its creation. At the end of 1941, the country's leadership allocated a huge amount of money and resources to this area. Robert Oppenheimer, who is considered by many to be the creator of the atomic bomb, was appointed project manager. In fact, he was the first who was able to bring the scientists' idea to life. As a result, on July 16, 1945, the first atomic bomb test took place in the desert of New Mexico. Then America decided that in order to completely end the war it needed to defeat Japan, an ally of Nazi Germany. The Pentagon quickly selected targets for the first nuclear attacks, which were supposed to become a vivid illustration of the power of American weapons.

On August 6, 1945, the US atomic bomb, cynically called "Little Boy", was dropped on the city of Hiroshima. The shot turned out to be simply perfect - the bomb exploded at an altitude of 200 meters from the ground, due to which its blast wave caused horrific damage to the city. In areas far from the center, coal stoves were overturned, leading to severe fires.

The bright flash was followed by a heat wave, which in 4 seconds managed to melt the tiles on the roofs of houses and incinerate telegraph poles. The heat wave was followed by a shock wave. The wind, which swept through the city at a speed of about 800 km/h, demolished everything in its path. Of the 76,000 buildings located in the city before the explosion, about 70,000 were completely destroyed. A few minutes after the explosion, rain began to fall from the sky, large drops of which were black. The rain fell due to the formation of a huge amount of condensation, consisting of steam and ash, in the cold layers of the atmosphere.

People who were affected by the fireball within a radius of 800 meters from the point of the explosion turned to dust. Those who were a little further from the explosion had burned skin, the remains of which were torn off by the shock wave. Black radioactive rain left incurable burns on the skin of survivors. Those who miraculously managed to escape soon began to show signs of radiation sickness: nausea, fever and attacks of weakness.

Three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, America attacked another Japanese city - Nagasaki. The second explosion had the same disastrous consequences as the first.

In a matter of seconds, two atomic bombs destroyed hundreds of thousands of people. The shock wave practically wiped Hiroshima off the face of the earth. More than half of the local residents (about 240 thousand people) died immediately from their injuries. In the city of Nagasaki, about 73 thousand people died from the explosion. Many of those who survived were subjected to severe radiation, which caused infertility, radiation sickness and cancer. As a result, some of the survivors died in terrible agony. The use of the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and Nagasaki illustrated the terrible power of these weapons.

You and I already know who invented the atomic bomb, how it works and what consequences it can lead to. Now we will find out how things were with nuclear weapons in the USSR.

After the bombing of Japanese cities, J.V. Stalin realized that the creation of a Soviet atomic bomb was a matter of national security. On August 20, 1945, a committee on nuclear energy was created in the USSR, and L. Beria was appointed head of it.

It is worth noting that work in this direction has been carried out in the Soviet Union since 1918, and in 1938, a special commission on the atomic nucleus was created at the Academy of Sciences. With the outbreak of World War II, all work in this direction was frozen.

In 1943, USSR intelligence officers transferred from England materials from closed scientific works in the field of nuclear energy. These materials illustrated that the work of foreign scientists on the creation of an atomic bomb had made serious progress. At the same time, American residents contributed to the introduction of reliable Soviet agents into the main US nuclear research centers. The agents passed on information about new developments to Soviet scientists and engineers.

Technical task

When in 1945 the issue of creating a Soviet nuclear bomb became almost a priority, one of the project leaders, Yu. Khariton, drew up a plan for the development of two versions of the projectile. On June 1, 1946, the plan was signed by senior management.

According to the assignment, the designers needed to build an RDS (special jet engine) of two models:

RDS-1. A bomb with a plutonium charge that is detonated by spherical compression. The device was borrowed from the Americans.
RDS-2. A cannon bomb with two uranium charges converging in the gun barrel before reaching a critical mass.

In the history of the notorious RDS, the most common, albeit humorous, formulation was the phrase “Russia does it itself.” It was invented by Yu. Khariton’s deputy, K. Shchelkin. This phrase very accurately conveys the essence of the work, at least for RDS-2.

When America learned that the Soviet Union possessed the secrets of creating nuclear weapons, it began to desire a rapid escalation of preventive war. In the summer of 1949, the “Troyan” plan appeared, according to which on January 1, 1950 it was planned to begin military operations against the USSR. Then the date of the attack was moved to the beginning of 1957, but with the condition that all NATO countries join it.

Tests

When information about America's plans arrived through intelligence channels in the USSR, the work of Soviet scientists accelerated significantly. Western experts believed that atomic weapons would be created in the USSR no earlier than 1954-1955. In fact, the tests of the first atomic bomb in the USSR took place already in August 1949. On August 29, an RDS-1 device was blown up at a test site in Semipalatinsk. A large team of scientists took part in its creation, headed by Igor Vasilievich Kurchatov. The design of the charge belonged to the Americans, and the electronic equipment was created from scratch. The first atomic bomb in the USSR exploded with a power of 22 kt.

Due to the likelihood of a retaliatory strike, the Trojan plan, which involved a nuclear attack on 70 Soviet cities, was thwarted. The tests at Semipalatinsk marked the end of the American monopoly on the possession of atomic weapons. The invention of Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov completely destroyed the military plans of America and NATO and prevented the development of another world war. Thus began an era of peace on Earth, which exists under the threat of absolute destruction.

"Nuclear Club" of the world

Today, not only America and Russia have nuclear weapons, but also a number of other states. The collection of countries that own such weapons is conventionally called the “nuclear club.”

It includes:

America (since 1945).
USSR, and now Russia (since 1949).
England (since 1952).
France (since 1960).
China (since 1964).
India (since 1974).
Pakistan (since 1998).
Korea (since 2006).

Israel also has nuclear weapons, although the country's leadership refuses to comment on their presence. In addition, there are American nuclear weapons on the territory of NATO countries (Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada) and allies (Japan, South Korea, despite the official refusal).

Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan, which owned some of the USSR's nuclear weapons, transferred their bombs to Russia after the collapse of the Union. She became the sole heir to the USSR's nuclear arsenal.

Conclusion

Today we learned who invented the atomic bomb and what it is. Summarizing the above, we can conclude that nuclear weapons today are the most powerful instrument of global politics, firmly entrenched in relations between countries. On the one hand, it is an effective means of deterrence, and on the other, a convincing argument for preventing military confrontation and strengthening peaceful relations between states. Atomic weapons are a symbol of an entire era that require especially careful handling.

The history of human development has always been accompanied by wars as a way to resolve conflicts through violence. Civilization has suffered more than fifteen thousand small and large armed conflicts, the loss of human lives is estimated in the millions. In the nineties of the last century alone, more than a hundred military clashes occurred, involving ninety countries of the world.

At the same time, scientific discoveries and technological progress have made it possible to create weapons of destruction of ever greater power and sophistication of use. In the twentieth century Nuclear weapons became the peak of mass destructive impact and a political instrument.

Atomic bomb device

Modern nuclear bombs as means of destroying the enemy are created on the basis of advanced technical solutions, the essence of which is not widely publicized. But the main elements inherent in this type of weapon can be examined using the example of the design of a nuclear bomb codenamed “Fat Man,” dropped in 1945 on one of the cities of Japan.

The power of the explosion was 22.0 kt in TNT equivalent.

It had the following design features:

the length of the product was 3250.0 mm, with a diameter of the volumetric part - 1520.0 mm. Total weight more than 4.5 tons;
the body is elliptical in shape. To avoid premature destruction due to anti-aircraft ammunition and other unwanted impacts, 9.5 mm armored steel was used for its manufacture;
the body is divided into four internal parts: the nose, two halves of the ellipsoid (the main one is a compartment for the nuclear filling), and the tail.
the bow compartment is equipped with batteries;
the main compartment, like the nasal one, is vacuumized to prevent the entry of harmful environments, moisture, and to create comfortable conditions for the bearded man to work;
the ellipsoid housed a plutonium core surrounded by a uranium tamper (shell). It played the role of an inertial limiter for the course of the nuclear reaction, ensuring maximum activity of weapons-grade plutonium by reflecting neutrons to the side of the active zone of the charge.

A primary source of neutrons, called an initiator or “hedgehog,” was placed inside the nucleus. Represented by beryllium spherical in diameter 20.0 mm with polonium-based outer coating - 210.

It should be noted that the expert community has determined that this design of nuclear weapons is ineffective and unreliable in use. Neutron initiation of the uncontrolled type was not used further .

Operating principle

The process of fission of the nuclei of uranium 235 (233) and plutonium 239 (this is what a nuclear bomb is made of) with a huge release of energy while limiting the volume is called a nuclear explosion. The atomic structure of radioactive metals has an unstable form - they are constantly divided into other elements.

The process is accompanied by the detachment of neurons, some of which fall on neighboring atoms and initiate a further reaction, accompanied by the release of energy.

The principle is as follows: shortening the decay time leads to greater intensity of the process, and the concentration of neurons on bombarding the nuclei leads to a chain reaction. When two elements are combined to a critical mass, a supercritical mass is created, leading to an explosion.

In everyday conditions, it is impossible to provoke an active reaction - high speeds of approach of the elements are needed - at least 2.5 km/s. Achieving this speed in a bomb is possible by using combining types of explosives (fast and slow), balancing the density of the supercritical mass producing an atomic explosion.

Nuclear explosions are attributed to the results of human activity on the planet or its orbit. Natural processes of this kind are possible only on some stars in outer space.

Atomic bombs are rightfully considered the most powerful and destructive weapons of mass destruction. Tactical use solves the problem of destroying strategic, military targets on the ground, as well as deep-based ones, defeating a significant accumulation of enemy equipment and manpower.

It can be applied globally only with the goal of complete destruction of the population and infrastructure in large areas.

To achieve certain goals and perform tactical and strategic tasks, explosions of atomic weapons can be carried out by:

at critical and low altitudes (above and below 30.0 km);
in direct contact with the earth's crust (water);
underground (or underwater explosion).

A nuclear explosion is characterized by the instantaneous release of enormous energy.

Leading to damage to objects and people as follows:

Shock wave. When an explosion occurs above or on the earth's crust (water) it is called an air wave; underground (water) it is called a seismic explosion wave. An air wave is formed after critical compression of air masses and propagates in a circle until attenuation at a speed exceeding sound. Leads to both direct damage to manpower and indirect damage (interaction with fragments of destroyed objects). The action of excess pressure makes the equipment non-functional by moving and hitting the ground;
Light radiation. The source is the light part formed by the evaporation of the product with air masses; for ground use, it is soil vapor. The effect occurs in the ultraviolet and infrared spectrum. Its absorption by objects and people provokes charring, melting and burning. The degree of damage depends on the distance of the epicenter;
Penetrating radiation- these are neutrons and gamma rays moving from the place of rupture. Exposure to biological tissue leads to ionization of cell molecules, leading to radiation sickness in the body. Damage to property is associated with fission reactions of molecules in the damaging elements of ammunition.
Radioactive contamination. During a ground explosion, soil vapors, dust, and other things rise. A cloud appears, moving in the direction of the movement of air masses. Sources of damage are represented by fission products of the active part of a nuclear weapon, isotopes, and undestroyed parts of the charge. When a radioactive cloud moves, continuous radiation contamination of the area occurs;
Electromagnetic pulse. The explosion is accompanied by the appearance of electromagnetic fields (from 1.0 to 1000 m) in the form of a pulse. They lead to failure of electrical devices, controls and communications.

The combination of factors of a nuclear explosion causes varying levels of damage to enemy personnel, equipment and infrastructure, and the fatality of the consequences is associated only with the distance from its epicenter.

History of the creation of nuclear weapons

The creation of weapons using nuclear reactions was accompanied by a number of scientific discoveries, theoretical and practical research, including:

1905— the theory of relativity was created, which states that a small amount of matter corresponds to a significant release of energy according to the formula E = mc2, where “c” represents the speed of light (author A. Einstein);
1938— German scientists conducted an experiment on dividing an atom into parts by attacking uranium with neutrons, which ended successfully (O. Hann and F. Strassmann), and a physicist from Great Britain explained the fact of the release of energy (R. Frisch);
1939- scientists from France that when carrying out a chain of reactions of uranium molecules, energy will be released that can produce an explosion of enormous force (Joliot-Curie).

The latter became the starting point for the invention of atomic weapons. Parallel development was carried out by Germany, Great Britain, the USA, and Japan. The main problem was the extraction of uranium in the required volumes for conducting experiments in this area.

The problem was solved faster in the USA by purchasing raw materials from Belgium in 1940.

As part of the project, called Manhattan, from 1939 to 1945, a uranium purification plant was built, a center for the study of nuclear processes was created, and the best specialists - physicists from all over Western Europe - were recruited to work there.

Great Britain, which carried out its own developments, was forced, after the German bombing, to voluntarily transfer the developments on its project to the US military.

It is believed that the Americans were the first to invent the atomic bomb. Tests of the first nuclear charge were carried out in the state of New Mexico in July 1945. The flash from the explosion darkened the sky and the sandy landscape turned to glass. After a short period of time, nuclear charges called “Baby” and “Fat Man” were created.

Nuclear weapons in the USSR - dates and events

The emergence of the USSR as a nuclear power was preceded by long work by individual scientists and government institutions. Key periods and significant dates of events are presented as follows:

1920 considered the beginning of the work of Soviet scientists on atomic fission;
Since the thirties the direction of nuclear physics becomes a priority;
October 1940— an initiative group of physicists came up with a proposal to use atomic developments for military purposes;
Summer 1941 in connection with the war, nuclear energy institutes were transferred to the rear;
Autumn 1941 year, Soviet intelligence informed the country's leadership about the beginning of nuclear programs in Britain and America;
September 1942- atomic research began to be carried out in full, work on uranium continued;
February 1943— a special research laboratory was created under the leadership of I. Kurchatov, and general management was entrusted to V. Molotov;

The project was led by V. Molotov.

August 1945- in connection with the conduct of nuclear bombing in Japan, the high importance of developments for the USSR, a Special Committee was created under the leadership of L. Beria;
April 1946- KB-11 was created, which began to develop samples of Soviet nuclear weapons in two versions (using plutonium and uranium);
Mid 1948— work on uranium was stopped due to low efficiency and high costs;
August 1949- when the atomic bomb was invented in the USSR, the first Soviet nuclear bomb was tested.

The reduction in product development time was facilitated by the high-quality work of intelligence agencies, who were able to obtain information on American nuclear developments. Among those who first created the atomic bomb in the USSR was a team of scientists led by Academician A. Sakharov. They have developed more promising technical solutions than those used by the Americans.

Atomic bomb "RDS-1"

In 2015 - 2017, Russia made a breakthrough in improving nuclear weapons and their delivery systems, thereby declaring a state capable of repelling any aggression.

First atomic bomb tests

After testing an experimental nuclear bomb in New Mexico in the summer of 1945, the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were bombed on August 6 and 9, respectively.

The development of the atomic bomb was completed this year

In 1949, under conditions of increased secrecy, Soviet designers of KB-11 and scientists completed the development of an atomic bomb called RDS-1 (jet engine “S”). On August 29, the first Soviet nuclear device was tested at the Semipalatinsk test site. The Russian atomic bomb - RDS-1 was a “drop-shaped” product, weighing 4.6 tons, with a volumetric diameter of 1.5 m, and a length of 3.7 meters.

The active part included a plutonium block, which made it possible to achieve an explosion power of 20.0 kilotons, commensurate with TNT. The testing site covered a radius of twenty kilometers. The specifics of the test detonation conditions have not been made public to date.

On September 3 of the same year, American aviation intelligence established the presence in the air masses of Kamchatka of traces of isotopes indicating the testing of a nuclear charge. On the twenty-third, the top US official publicly announced that the USSR had succeeded in testing an atomic bomb.

H-bomb

Thermonuclear weapons- a type of weapon of mass destruction, the destructive power of which is based on the use of the energy of the reaction of nuclear fusion of light elements into heavier ones (for example, the synthesis of two nuclei of deuterium (heavy hydrogen) atoms into one nucleus of a helium atom), which releases a colossal amount of energy. Having the same destructive factors as nuclear weapons, thermonuclear weapons have a much greater explosive power. In theory, it is limited only by the number of components available. It should be noted that radioactive contamination from a thermonuclear explosion is much weaker than from an atomic explosion, especially in relation to the power of the explosion. This gave grounds to call thermonuclear weapons “clean”. This term, which appeared in English-language literature, fell out of use by the end of the 70s.

general description

A thermonuclear explosive device can be built using either liquid deuterium or compressed gaseous deuterium. But the emergence of thermonuclear weapons became possible only thanks to a type of lithium hydride - lithium-6 deuteride. This is a compound of a heavy isotope of hydrogen - deuterium and an isotope of lithium with a mass number of 6.

Lithium-6 deuteride is a solid substance that allows you to store deuterium (the usual state of which under normal conditions is gas) at positive temperatures, and, in addition, its second component - lithium-6 - is the raw material for producing the most scarce isotope of hydrogen - tritium. Actually, 6 Li is the only industrial source of tritium:

Early US thermonuclear munitions also used natural lithium deuteride, which contains mainly an isotope of lithium with a mass number of 7. It also serves as a source of tritium, but for this the neutrons involved in the reaction must have an energy of 10 MeV or higher.

In order to create the neutrons and temperature (about 50 million degrees) necessary to start a thermonuclear reaction, a small atomic bomb first explodes in a hydrogen bomb. The explosion is accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature, electromagnetic radiation, and the emergence of a powerful neutron flux. As a result of the reaction of neutrons with a lithium isotope, tritium is formed.

The presence of deuterium and tritium at the high temperature of the explosion of an atomic bomb initiates a thermonuclear reaction (234), which produces the main release of energy during the explosion of a hydrogen (thermonuclear) bomb. If the bomb body is made of natural uranium, then fast neutrons (carrying away 70% of the energy released during the reaction (242)) cause a new uncontrolled chain fission reaction in it. The third phase of the hydrogen bomb explosion occurs. In a similar way, a thermonuclear explosion of practically unlimited power is created.

An additional damaging factor is neutron radiation, which occurs during the explosion of a hydrogen bomb.

Thermonuclear munition device

Thermonuclear munitions exist both in the form of aerial bombs ( hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb), and warheads for ballistic and cruise missiles.

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USSR

The first Soviet project of a thermonuclear device resembled a layer cake, and therefore received the code name “Sloyka”. The design was developed in 1949 (even before the testing of the first Soviet nuclear bomb) by Andrei Sakharov and Vitaly Ginzburg and had a different charge configuration from the now famous Teller-Ulam split design. In the charge, layers of fissile material alternated with layers of fusion fuel - lithium deuteride mixed with tritium (“Sakharov’s first idea”). The fusion charge placed around the fission charge was ineffective in increasing the overall power of the device (modern Teller-Ulam devices can provide a multiplying factor of up to 30 times). In addition, the areas of fission and fusion charges were interspersed with a conventional explosive - the initiator of the primary fission reaction, which further increased the required mass of conventional explosives. The first device of the “Sloika” type was tested in 1953, receiving the name “Joe-4” in the West (the first Soviet nuclear tests received code names from the American nickname of Joseph (Joseph) Stalin “Uncle Joe”). The explosion power was equivalent to 400 kilotons with an efficiency of only 15 - 20%. Calculations have shown that the spread of unreacted material prevents an increase in power above 750 kilotons.

After the United States conducted the Ivy Mike tests in November 1952, which proved the possibility of creating megaton bombs, the Soviet Union began to develop another project. As Andrei Sakharov mentioned in his memoirs, the “second idea” was put forward by Ginzburg back in November 1948 and proposed using lithium deuteride in a bomb, which, when irradiated with neutrons, forms tritium and releases deuterium.

At the end of 1953, physicist Viktor Davidenko proposed placing the primary (fission) and secondary (fusion) charges in separate volumes, thus repeating the Teller-Ulam scheme. The next big step was proposed and developed by Sakharov and Yakov Zeldovich in the spring of 1954. It involved using X-rays from the fission reaction to compress lithium deuteride before fusion (“beam implosion”). Sakharov's "third idea" was tested during tests of the 1.6 megaton RDS-37 in November 1955. Further development of this idea confirmed the practical absence of fundamental restrictions on the power of thermonuclear charges.

The Soviet Union demonstrated this with tests in October 1961, when a 50-megaton bomb delivered by a Tu-95 bomber was detonated on Novaya Zemlya. The efficiency of the device was almost 97%, and it was initially designed for a power of 100 megatons, which was subsequently cut in half by a strong-willed decision of the project management. It was the most powerful thermonuclear device ever developed and tested on Earth. So powerful that its practical use as a weapon lost all meaning, even taking into account the fact that it was already tested in the form of a finished bomb.

USA

The idea of a nuclear fusion bomb initiated by an atomic charge was proposed by Enrico Fermi to his colleague Edward Teller back in 1941, at the very beginning of the Manhattan Project. Teller devoted much of his work during the Manhattan Project to working on the fusion bomb project, to some extent neglecting the atomic bomb itself. His focus on difficulties and the position of "devil's advocate" in discussions of problems forced Oppenheimer to lead Teller and other "problematic" physicists to the siding.

The first important and conceptual steps towards the implementation of the synthesis project were taken by Teller's collaborator Stanislav Ulam. To initiate thermonuclear fusion, Ulam proposed compressing the thermonuclear fuel before heating it, using factors from the primary fission reaction, and also placing the thermonuclear charge separately from the primary nuclear component of the bomb. These proposals made it possible to transfer the development of thermonuclear weapons to a practical level. Based on this, Teller proposed that the x-ray and gamma radiation generated by the primary explosion could transfer enough energy to the secondary component, located in a common shell with the primary, to carry out sufficient implosion (compression) to initiate a thermonuclear reaction. Teller and his supporters and opponents later discussed Ulam's contribution to the theory underlying this mechanism.

There are a considerable number of different political clubs in the world. The G7, now the G20, BRICS, SCO, NATO, the European Union, to some extent. However, none of these clubs can boast of a unique function - the ability to destroy the world as we know it. The “nuclear club” has similar capabilities.

Today there are 9 countries that have nuclear weapons:

Russia;
Great Britain;
France;
India
Pakistan;
Israel;
DPRK.

Countries are ranked as they acquire nuclear weapons in their arsenal. If the list were arranged by the number of warheads, then Russia would be in first place with its 8,000 units, 1,600 of which can be launched even now. The states are only 700 units behind, but they have 320 more charges at hand. “Nuclear club” is a purely relative concept; in fact, there is no club. There are a number of agreements between countries on non-proliferation and reduction of nuclear weapons stockpiles.

The first tests of the atomic bomb, as we know, were carried out by the United States back in 1945. This weapon was tested in the “field” conditions of World War II on residents of the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They operate on the principle of division. During the explosion, a chain reaction is triggered, which provokes the fission of nuclei into two, with the accompanying release of energy. Uranium and plutonium are mainly used for this reaction. Our ideas about what nuclear bombs are made of are connected with these elements. Since uranium occurs in nature only as a mixture of three isotopes, of which only one is capable of supporting such a reaction, it is necessary to enrich uranium. The alternative is plutonium-239, which does not occur naturally and must be produced from uranium.

If a fission reaction occurs in a uranium bomb, then a fusion reaction occurs in a hydrogen bomb - this is the essence of how a hydrogen bomb differs from an atomic one. We all know that the sun gives us light, warmth, and one might say life. The same processes that occur in the sun can easily destroy cities and countries. The explosion of a hydrogen bomb is generated by the synthesis of light nuclei, the so-called thermonuclear fusion. This “miracle” is possible thanks to hydrogen isotopes - deuterium and tritium. This is actually why the bomb is called a hydrogen bomb. You can also see the name “thermonuclear bomb”, from the reaction that underlies this weapon.

After the world saw the destructive power of nuclear weapons, in August 1945, the USSR began a race that lasted until its collapse. The United States was the first to create, test and use nuclear weapons, the first to detonate a hydrogen bomb, but the USSR can be credited with the first production of a compact hydrogen bomb, which can be delivered to the enemy on a regular Tu-16. The first US bomb was the size of a three-story house; a hydrogen bomb of that size would be of little use. The Soviets received such weapons already in 1952, while the United States' first "adequate" bomb was adopted only in 1954. If you look back and analyze the explosions in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, you can come to the conclusion that they were not so powerful . Two bombs in total destroyed both cities and killed, according to various sources, up to 220,000 people. Carpet bombing of Tokyo could kill 150-200,000 people a day even without any nuclear weapons. This is due to the low power of the first bombs - only a few tens of kilotons of TNT. Hydrogen bombs were tested with an aim to overcome 1 megaton or more.

The first Soviet bomb was tested with a claim of 3 Mt, but in the end they tested 1.6 Mt.

The most powerful hydrogen bomb was tested by the Soviets in 1961. Its capacity reached 58-75 Mt, with the declared 51 Mt. “Tsar” plunged the world into a slight shock, in the literal sense. The shock wave circled the planet three times. There was not a single hill left at the test site (Novaya Zemlya), the explosion was heard at a distance of 800 km. The fireball reached a diameter of almost 5 km, the “mushroom” grew by 67 km, and the diameter of its cap was almost 100 km. The consequences of such an explosion in a large city are hard to imagine. According to many experts, it was the test of a hydrogen bomb of such power (the States at that time had bombs four times less powerful) that became the first step towards signing various treaties banning nuclear weapons, their testing and reducing production. For the first time, the world began to think about its own security, which was truly at risk.

As mentioned earlier, the principle of operation of a hydrogen bomb is based on a fusion reaction. Thermonuclear fusion is the process of fusion of two nuclei into one, with the formation of a third element, the release of a fourth and energy. The forces that repel nuclei are enormous, so in order for the atoms to come close enough to merge, the temperature must be simply enormous. Scientists have been puzzling over cold thermonuclear fusion for centuries, trying, so to speak, to reset the fusion temperature to room temperature, ideally. In this case, humanity will have access to the energy of the future. As for the current thermonuclear reaction, to start it you still need to light a miniature sun here on Earth - bombs usually use a uranium or plutonium charge to start the fusion.

In addition to the consequences described above from the use of a bomb of tens of megatons, a hydrogen bomb, like any nuclear weapon, has a number of consequences from its use. Some people tend to believe that the hydrogen bomb is a “cleaner weapon” than a conventional bomb. Perhaps this has something to do with the name. People hear the word “water” and think that it has something to do with water and hydrogen, and therefore the consequences are not so dire. In fact, this is certainly not the case, because the action of a hydrogen bomb is based on extremely radioactive substances. It is theoretically possible to make a bomb without a uranium charge, but this is impractical due to the complexity of the process, so the pure fusion reaction is “diluted” with uranium to increase power. At the same time, the amount of radioactive fallout increases to 1000%. Everything that falls into the fireball will be destroyed, the area within the affected radius will become uninhabitable for people for decades. Radioactive fallout can harm the health of people hundreds and thousands of kilometers away. Specific numbers and the area of infection can be calculated by knowing the strength of the charge.

However, the destruction of cities is not the worst thing that can happen “thanks” to weapons of mass destruction. After a nuclear war, the world will not be completely destroyed. Thousands of large cities, billions of people will remain on the planet, and only a small percentage of territories will lose their “livable” status. In the long term, the entire world will be at risk due to the so-called “nuclear winter.” Detonation of the “club’s” nuclear arsenal could trigger the release of enough substance (dust, soot, smoke) into the atmosphere to “reduce” the brightness of the sun. The shroud, which could spread across the entire planet, would destroy crops for several years to come, causing famine and inevitable population decline. There has already been a “year without summer” in history, after a major volcanic eruption in 1816, so nuclear winter looks more than possible. Again, depending on how the war proceeds, we may end up with the following types of global climate change:

a cooling of 1 degree will pass unnoticed;
nuclear autumn - cooling by 2-4 degrees, crop failures and increased formation of hurricanes are possible;
an analogue of the “year without summer” - when the temperature dropped significantly, by several degrees for a year;
Little Ice Age – temperatures may drop by 30–40 degrees for a significant period of time and will be accompanied by depopulation of a number of northern zones and crop failures;
ice age - the development of the Little Ice Age, when the reflection of sunlight from the surface can reach a certain critical level and the temperature will continue to fall, the only difference is the temperature;
irreversible cooling is a very sad version of the Ice Age, which, under the influence of many factors, will turn the Earth into a new planet.

The nuclear winter theory has been constantly criticized, and its implications seem a bit overblown. However, there is no need to doubt its inevitable offensive in any global conflict involving the use of hydrogen bombs.

The Cold War is long behind us, and therefore nuclear hysteria can only be seen in old Hollywood films and on the covers of rare magazines and comics. Despite this, we may be on the verge of a, albeit small, but serious nuclear conflict. All this thanks to the rocket lover and hero of the fight against US imperialist ambitions - Kim Jong-un. The DPRK hydrogen bomb is still a hypothetical object; only indirect evidence speaks of its existence. Of course, the North Korean government constantly reports that they have managed to make new bombs, but no one has seen them live yet. Naturally, the States and their allies - Japan and South Korea - are a little more concerned about the presence, even hypothetical, of such weapons in the DPRK. The reality is that at the moment the DPRK does not have enough technology to successfully attack the United States, which they announce to the whole world every year. Even an attack on neighboring Japan or the South may not be very successful, if at all, but every year the danger of a new conflict on the Korean Peninsula is growing.