Key Components of a Thermonuclear Bomb

摘要

Pit: This is the core of an implosion weapon and is composed of fissionable material and a neutron reflector or tamper bonded to it. Some weapons tested during the 1950s used pits made with uranium or a composite with plutonium. Tritium bottle: Tritium (heavy hydrogen) is an important component in nuclear weapons. It is used to enhance the efficiency and yield of fission bombs and the fusion stage of hydrogen bombs in a process known as boosting, as well as in external neutron initiators for such weapons. Zipper: Also known as a neutron generator, actuated by an ultrafast switch, a small particle accelerator drives ions of tritium and deuterium to high levels of energy needed for deuterium-tritium fusion. High-energy neutrons from the resulting fusion radiate in all directions. Some of these strike plutonium or uranium nuclei in the primary's pit, thus initiating a nuclear chain reaction.