Neutron Bomb

[mooeypoo]

I've heard about it again and again in TV series, books and movies.

 

I have a few questions:

 

1. Does it exist, or is it "only" theoretical?

2. What *exactly* are the implications? What does it do to the surroundings? I've heard it can "fry" living tissue without harming buildings and still objects, and leave almost no radiation.. is that true?

 

 

That entire thing creeps me out.

 

I'd love some info on the subject..

 

Thanks!

 

~moo

[Glider]

The neutron bomb is a reality, it does exist. It has been described as the ultimate capitalist weapon, because it kills people but leaves property intact. For example, an airburst over a tank squadron gives out a massive burst of radiation that cooks the tank crews, but comparitively little by way of blast, so the tanks are left largely undamaged. Same with buildings and their occupants.

[Crash]

Oh? Sounds interestingcan youplease explain??

[mooeypoo]

Sheesh.

 

How does this thing work? What radius does it work?

 

THAT creeps me out, GEEEEEEESH.

And I was hoping the movies are only movies ...

 

 

~moo

[YT2095]

basicly it does leave a blast crater (about 150-200 metres circ) and has an undetermined "effective range" but it`s in the order of 10`s of kilometers.

an EMP device will emit EM radiation, a nuclear device will emit neutrons but many MANY other contaminants and go BOOM!!!! BIG TIME!, a neutron device will act similar to an EMP device, the weapon specifics I`de rather not post, personal reasons

[mooeypoo]

I saw in a TV series that this neutron bomb was "barely noticed" -- meaning it barely left "leftover" radiation and presence. "All it did" (as horrible as it is to say) is FRY all living tissue -- the radiation acted like a microwave -- all living tissue just FRIED from the INSIDE....

 

is that true?

[YT2095]

NO, it`s perfectly false!, you do NOT "FRY", basicly it effects the Calcium in your body making it an isotope of a short half life, that`s what kills you (

[mooeypoo]

Eugh.

 

Well, i guess it's better than being fried from the insides out.

Not that I think people have the TIME to notice whether they're being fried or.. err.. whatever it is that actually happens.

 

That hting is SCARY. How available is it? like, what stops anyone from building it? does it need special substances? special surroundings to work..? can it be detected?

[YT2095]

whoa, so many questions in one go!

 

dead is dead, eitherway, it sux!

 

there is a treaty, that no Neutrons are to be made or deployed, conventional Nukes is prefered (yeah, I know, try figure that one out!!?)

nothing stops anyone from building one, it`s as easy as making a nuke!

special.... Hmmm.. well Yeah it does, but nothing more special that the kit needed for a nuke, and we know many places that can make those!

detection??? what do you mean?

[Crash]

Physics and diagrams of how?pls

[timo]

@ 2nd question:

- kills living but leaves buildings intact: I allways thought the reason for this was that neutrons mainly kick out hydrogen atoms off their bounds which is quite unhealthy (production of radicals) for living beings (water and organic molecules have a very high portion of hydrogen) yet more or less irrelevant for a tank.

But if YT2095 sais it´s your calcium that kills you that might be also correct. I´m not really an expert in killing people.

 

- leaves almost no radiation: Afaik, the main reason why the radiation is said to vanish quite quickly is that free neutrons have a livetime ~10min which is very little compared to that of uranium and plutonium (millions of years and thousands of years if I remember that correctly). That´s of course only a rough estimation because the neutrons can be catched by atom cores resulting in a longer living radioactive isotope ... but would you really expect your military to tell you "that bomb we just invented is a really dirty one with limited military usage but great potential for making people suffer!" ?

 

@topic:

The fascination people put into "how do I build a really nasty bomb"-topics is quite a bit shocking for me. Had a seminary with 1st semester physicists last year and about 1/3 of them were chosing "how do I build an atom-/h-/neutron-bomb" as topic of their speech ...

[Radical Edward]

Basically it is just a small hydrogen bomb without the uranium-238 jacket. it is a very effective battlefield weapon as well, since the effects drop off rapidly with distance.

[Glider]

From a Google search:

 

"Tactical neutron bombs are primarily intended to kill soldiers who are protected by armor. Armored vehicles are very resistant to blast and heat produced by nuclear weapons, but steel armor can reduce neutron radiation only by a modest amount so the lethal range from neutrons greatly exceeds that of other weapon effects. The lethal range for tactical neutron bombs can exceed the lethal range for blast and heat even for unprotected troops. Armor can absorb neutrons and neutron energy, thus reducing the neutron radiation to which the tank crew is exposed, but this offset to some extent by the fact that armor can also react harmfully with neutrons. Alloy steels for example can develop induced radioactivity that remains dangerous for some time. When fast neutrons are slowed down, the energy lost can show up as x-rays. Some types of armor, like that of the M-1 tank, employ depleted uranium which can undergo fast fission, generating additional neutrons and becoming radioactive. Special neutron absorbing armor techniques have also been developed, such as armors containing boronated plastics and the use of vehicle fuel as a shield."

 

reference: http://www.virtualschool.edu/mon/Outlaws/faq1

 

"Also called ENHANCED RADIATION WARHEAD, specialized type of small thermonuclear weapon that produces minimal blast and heat but which releases large amounts of lethal radiation. The neutron bomb delivers blast and heat effects that are confined to an area of only a few hundred yards in radius. But within a somewhat larger area it throws off a massive wave of neutron and gamma radiation, which can penetrate armour or several feet of earth. This radiation is extremely destructive to living tissue. Because of its short-range destructiveness and the absence of long-range effect, the neutron bomb would be highly effective against tank and infantry formations on the battlefield but would not endanger cities or other population centres only a few miles away. It can be carried in a Lance missile or delivered by an 8-inch (200-millimetre) howitzer, or possibly by attack aircraft.

 

In strategic terms, the neutron bomb has a theoretical deterrent effect: discouraging an armoured ground assault by arousing the fear of neutron bomb counterattack. The bomb would disable enemy tank crews in minutes, and those exposed would die within days. U.S. production of the bomb was postponed in 1978 and resumed in 1981."

 

reference: http://www.britannica.com/seo/n/neutron-bomb/

[5614]

in a nuke, the splitting of the atom causes the explosion and uranium causes the radiation....

so with a neutron bomb why doesnt the explosion which splits the atom and produces the neutrons make a huge explosion, what limits the size of the explosion and makes the nuclear bomb explosion so much bigger