Information about nuclear weapons

1. NUCLEAR ENERGY -
POWER WEAPONS TODAY
BY
A.AARTHI

2. INTRODUCTION
 Nuclear power was discovered over 100 years ago.
 Everything related to nuclear power has not been a
positive invention.
 Right now nuclear power is being developed towards
the benefit of mankind.

3. The late 20’s and early 30’s are known for discovering
radioactivity and the huge steps forward in the
techniques and instrumentation of nuclear physics.
Scientists had to create large electric fields to be able
to continue their research.
1930’s- Ernest Lawrence invented the cyclotron
(=circular magnetic accelerator).
It is very difficult to date the birth of nuclear physics.
 The year 1932 is considered to be the birth year of
nuclear physics due to the discovery of the neutron,
positron, deuteron and the completion of the first particle
accelerator.
BASIC HISTORY OF NUCLEAR PHYSICS

4. NUCLEAR FUSION
Fusion is the fusing of light nuclei into a heavier
nucleus. It requires a lot of energy to bring the
protons close enough to overcome their electrostatic
repulsion.
The energy released by fusion is many times
greater than the energy released by nuclear fission.

5. NUCLEAR FISSION
Fission is the splitting of a heavy nucleus into
lighter nuclei. Does not require a lot of energy.
The energy released by fission is many times
greater than the energy released by a chemical
reaction.

6. NUCLEAR WEAPON
A nuclear weapon (also called an atom bomb, nuke, atomic bomb,
nuclear warhead, A-bomb, or nuclear bomb) is an explosive device
that derives its destructive force from , either fission (fission bomb)
or from a combination of fission and fusion reactions
(thermonuclear bomb). Both bomb types release large quantities of
energy from relatively small amounts of matter.
The first test of a fission ("atomic") bomb released an amount of
energy approximately equal to 20,000 tons of TNT(84 TJ)
The first thermonuclear ("hydrogen") bomb test released energy
approximately equal to 10 million tons of TNT (42 PJ).
 A thermonuclear weapon weighing little more than 2,400 pounds
(1,100 kg) can release energy equal to more than 1.2 million tons of
TNT (5.0 PJ).A nuclear device no larger than traditional bombs can
devastate an entire city by blast, fire, and radiation.

7. GENERATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
Nuclear weapons are developed into four generation.
The fourth chapter is devoted to fourth generation
nuclear weapons.
 These new fission or fusion explosives could have
yields in the range of 1 to 100 ton equivalents of TNT,
i.e., in the gap which today separates
conventional weapons from nuclear weapons.
Of the four basic types of nuclear weapon, the first,
pure fission, uses the first of three nuclear reactions
above.
The second, fusion-boosted fission, uses the first two.
The third, two-stage thermonuclear, uses all three.

9. FIRST GENERATION NUCLEAR WEAPON
First Gen-nukes are called “Pure fission
weapons” because they are all about fission PFW s
are the simplest and least technical design .
The first nuclear weapons were gravity bombs,
such as this "Fat Man" weapon dropped
on Nagasaki, Japan. They were large and could only
be delivered by heavy bomber aircraft

10. SECOND GENERATION NUCLEAR WEAPON
Second generation nuclear weapons are called
“BOOSTED FISSION WEAPONS”.
A boosted fission weapon usually refers to a type of
nuclear bomb that uses a small amount of fusion
fuel to increase the rate, and thus yield, of a fission
reaction.

11. H-Bombs

12.  Idea to create a more powerful fusion weapon appeared in 1950s.
 This was the time of the Cold War so it is hard to tell who was
first in the H-bomb development.
American sources say that they have performed a first explosion
on the 1 of November of 1952.
Russian sources say that they made it on the 21 of September
1955 and that USA made it in 1956 at Bikini
Deuterium and/or tritium are the fuel of a fusion weapon. It
would have been risky to store either of these gases in a bomb. This
problem was solved when scientists figured out that lithium could
be turned into tritium by adding one neutron.
 A fusion bomb works by having a fission bomb as a trigger.
When the fission bomb explodes, it gives out heat and neutrons,
which turn the lithium into tritium, and compresses the tritium
HYDROGEN BOMB

13. THIRD GENERATION NUCLEAR WEAPON
Third generation nuclear weapons are called
“Thermonuclear Weapons”.
First and second generation nuclear weapons release
energy as omnidirectional blasts. Third generation nuclear
weapons are experimental special effect warheads and
devices that can release energy in a directed manner,
some of which were tested during the Cold War but were
never deployed.
These include: Project Prometheus, also known as
"Nuclear Shotgun", which would have used a nuclear
explosion to accelerate kinetic penetrators against
ICBMs.
Project Excalibur, a nuclear-pumped X-ray laser

14. FOURTH GENERATION NUCLEAR
WEAPONS
Newer 4th-generation nuclear weapons designs
including pure fusion weapons and antimatter-
catalyzed nuclear pulse propulsion-like devices, are
being studied by the five largest nuclear weapon
states.
Nanotechnology can theoretically produce
miniaturized laser-triggered pure fusion weapons that
will be easier to produce than conventional nuclear
weapons.

16. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF
NUCLEAR POWERS
Today nuclear physics is developing in a more
peaceful direction
We are starting to become more and more
dependant on nuclear power.
 Nuclear power produces more than 25% of the
total electricity made in over 15 countries
There is a total of about 440 nuclear reactors
around the world.

17. NUCLEAR WEAPONS POLICIES
 After the end of Cold War, USA, G-7 and Russia
established the Cooperative Threat Reduction
Programs to:
- dismantle strategic nuclear weapons
- strengthen the security of nuclear weapons and
materials
- employ key scientists in weapons of mass destruction
(WMD) complexes.
Russia and USA did not become allies. Despite the
signed agreement of detargeting, each country has
suspicions over other’s missiles explaining the sizes of
their nuclear arsenals.

18. STATUS OF WORLD NUCLEAR FORCES
The number of nuclear weapons in the world has declined
significantly since the Cold War: down from a peak of approximately
70,300 in 1986 to an estimated 13,890 in early-2019.
 Government officials often portray that accomplishment as a result
of current or recent arms control agreements, but the overwhelming
portion of the reduction happened in the 1990s.
 Some also compare today’s numbers with that of the 1950s, but
that is like comparing apples and oranges; today’s forces are vastly
more capable.
 The pace of reduction has slowed significantly compared with the
1990s.
Instead of planning for nuclear disarmament, the nuclear-armed
states appear to plan to retain large arsenals for the indefinite future,
are adding new nuclear weapons, and are increasing the role that such
weapons play in their national strategies

20. Countries With Nuclear Weapons 2020
 In the world today, there are nine major countries that
currently possess nuclear weapons. Here is the list of all nine
countries with nuclear weapons in descending order, starting with
the country that has the most nuclear weapons at hand and ending
with the country that has the least amount of nuclear weapons:
 Russia, 6,850 nuclear warheads
 The United States of America, 6,185 nuclear warheads
 France, 300 nuclear warheads
 China, 280 nuclear warheads
 The United Kingdom, 215 nuclear warheads
 Pakistan, 145 nuclear warheads
 India, 135 nuclear warheads
 Israel, 80 nuclear warheads
 North Korea, 15 nuclear warheads

22. Globally, the number of nuclear weapons is declining, but
the pace of reduction is slowing compared with the past 25 years.
All the nuclear weapon states continue to modernize their
remaining nuclear forces, adding new types, increasing the role
they serve, and appear committed to retaining nuclear weapons
for the indefinite future.
Five nations, namely the US, the Russian Federation, the
United Kingdom, France and China, are considered ’nuclear-
weapon states’ (NWS) under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty (NPT) while India, Pakistan, Israel and North Korea also
stockpile nuclear warheads.
 More than 90% of the world's nuclear weapons are in the US
and Russian inventories.
 Army-technology.com ranks the countries with the biggest
stockpiles of nuclear weapons

23. RDS-220 hydrogen bomb (Tsar Bomba) is the
most powerful thermo nuclear bomb ever built.
Image courtesy of Scott Martin.
Alleged spare bomb casings from South
Africa's nuclear weapon programmed. Their
purpose is disputed

24. Russian Federation
The Soviet Union of Russia (USSR) tested its first nuclear weapon
RDS-1 in August 1949, starting the race for nuclear weapons with the
US. The USSR detonated its largest nuclear weapon, Tsar Bomba,
with a yield of 50 megatons (equivalent to the power of 3,800
Hiroshima bombs) in 1961.
 Nuclear arms testing reached its peak in 1962 with 79 tests held
during the year.The Soviet Union retained an inventory of 45,000
nuclear warheads in 1986 but the stockpile was reduced by 50% in the
late 1990s.
The Russian Federation currently possesses 6,500 nuclear
warheads, including strategic nuclear weapons that can be launched
by long-range delivery systems, as well as non-strategic nuclear
weapons with lower yields and shorter ranges. The country’s current
stockpile of deployed warheads stands at 1,600 and is to be limited to
fewer than 1,550 under the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
(START), enforced in February 2011.

25. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The United States was the first nation to develop a nuclear
weapon and is the only state to deploy nuclear weapons against
another country.
 The US began nuclear weapon development during World War
II and successfully tested its first nuclear weapon in July 1945.
The country’s nuclear weapon inventory reached a peak of
31,225 in 1967. The nation currently has a stockpile of 6,185
nuclear warheads, including more than 1,750 deployed weapons
and 4,435 non-deployed warheads.
The US is required to reduce its operational strategic warheads
deployed on intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs),
submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBMs) and heavy
bombers to 1,550 by 2021 under the New START.

26. FRANCE
France became a nuclear weapons state when it successfully
launched its first nuclear weapon during an atmospheric nuclear
test named Gerboise Bleue in February 1960.
 The nation concluded its nuclear testing with the last and
210th test in January 1996 in French Polynesia.
The French military held a peak inventory of 540 nuclear
warheads during 1991-1992.
 France is the only NWS to shut-down and dismantle all its
nuclear test sites. The nation now holds approximately 280
deployed nuclear warheads, making it the third-biggest stockpile
in the world.
 The nuclear warheads of France are equipped onto SLBMs
aboard Triomphant-Class SSBNs and ASMP medium-range air-
to-ground missiles.

27. CHINA
The People’s Republic of China tested its first nuclear
weapon in October 1964 at the Lop Nur test site in the Gobi
desert of Xinjiang province.
 A total of 45 tests, including 23 atmospheric and 22
underground, were conducted until the country signed the
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) in September 1996.
China maintained a peak stockpile of 435 warheads in the early
1990s and its inventory was dropped down to 200 by 2006. The
nation is now estimated to hold about 2,90 warheads, but this is
expected to increase as the country develops new ballistic
weapons.
Chinese nuclear warheads can be launched by air, land and sea-
based delivery systems.

28. UNITED KINGDOM
The United Kingdom became the third nuclear-powered
country when it tested its first nuclear weapon in October 1952.
The nation conducted a total of 45 tests but participated in the
US nuclear testing programme, amounting to more than 1,000
nuclear tests.
The UK’s inventory peaked at 350 nuclear warheads during
1976-1981 and was limited to 185 warheads by 1999.
The current stockpile includes 200 nuclear warheads,
including 120 operational and 80 non-deployed warheads.
The active nuclear warheads in the British arsenal are
delivered by Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missiles
aboard four Vanguard-Class ballistic missile submarines.

29. PAKISTAN
Pakistan’s nuclear power was unveiled to the world in a series
of nuclear tests conducted in May 1998, although the country
initiated its nuclear weapons programmed in the 1970s.
 Pakistan is the seventh country in the world with the
capability to develop and produce nuclear arms.
Pakistan currently has 150 to 160 nuclear warheads, most of
which are believed to be in central storage.
The stockpile is expected to grow as the nation continues the
development of new delivery systems such as submarine-
launched ballistic missiles.
Pakistan currently maintains a variety of nuclear weapon
delivery systems, including medium-range ballistic missiles,
short-range ballistic missiles and aerial platforms. It is also
believed to be developing tactical nuclear weapons.

30. INDIA
India became the sixth nation to develop nuclear weapons
when it exploded a nuclear weapon during its first nuclear test in
May 1974.
 The test, codenamed Smiling Buddha, was declared as a
peaceful nuclear explosion by the Government of India.
India also conducted a series of underground explosions at the
Pokhran test site in May 1998, announcing them as nuclear
weapon tests.
 The nation’s stockpile is currently estimated to include
between 130 and 140 nuclear warheads.
India is committed to the policy of no-first-use of nuclear
weapons.
 The country retains the capability to launch nuclear weapons
by land, air and sea-based delivery platforms.

31. ISRAEL
Israel is believed to have initiated its nuclear
programme in the 1950s, although it has not tested
nuclear weapons publicly.
The country exerts a policy of nuclear ambiguity
concealing its nuclear status.
Israel is however thought to have produced enough
plutonium for 100 to 200 warheads, but its current
stockpile is anticipated to be only 80 to 90 warheads.
Israel also has nuclear weapon delivery systems,
such as nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic
missiles (IRBMs), ICBMs, submarines and aircraft.

32. NORTH KOREA
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)
exploded its first nuclear weapon in October 2006. The third and
most recent nuclear test was conducted in February 2013.
North Korea is believed to have plutonium and uranium
stockpiles to produce 12 to 27 nuclear weapons, according to a
mid-range estimate by the Institute for Science and International
Security.
 The current stockpile is anticipated to be between 20 and 30
nuclear warheads.
The nuclear weapon delivery capabilities of North Korea are
unknown, however, the Defence Intelligence Agency assesses
that the nation is advancing to deliver nuclear warheads by
ballistic missiles.

33.  Many oppose nuclear power. The example
how dangerous it is the disaster in Chernobyl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2jL5ubnd
8g& feature=related
 In future scientists are planning to use fusion
as an ecological source of energy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDAZsPkT
kM M
 Nuclear power was discovered over 100
PROS & CONS

34. Nuclear power was discovered over 100 years
ago.
 It has developed at a rapid speed thanks to the
invention of nuclear arms.
 Everything related to nuclear power has not been
a positive invention .
 Now nuclear power is being developed towards
the benefit of mankind.
CONCLUSION