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From: jin@hropus.UUCP (Jerry Natowitz)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.sci
Subject: Re: Small Nuclear Bombs
Message-ID: <449@hropus.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-May-86 08:20:38 EDT
Article-I.D.: hropus.449
Posted: Mon May 12 08:20:38 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 13-May-86 09:03:30 EDT
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Organization: Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
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Xref: watmath net.politics:15833 net.sci:835


>     I was talking to an ex-LLL physicist once who told me that there 
> is an isotope of Californium with a *very small* critical mass (a few
> grams, I think it was). This opened the theoretical possibility of a
> hand grenade sized nuclear weapon.

I used to wonder if an alloy of Uranium or Plutonium and a good neutron
source like Americanium would have a very small critical mass.  I have
a vague memory that very few known element are fissionable, apparently
the nucleous becomes increasingly stable after Plutonium (yes I know
that there are some incredibly short-lived nuclides up there, but I
thought the general trend is to stability).

In any case a "spiked" nuclear device would not have a long shelf life,
the rapid decay would mar those nice shiny surfaces.
-- 
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		Bear
		ihnp4!houxm!hropus!jin