Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!harvard!husc6!panda!genrad!decvax!cca!g-rh
From: g-rh@cca.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Newsgroups: net.politics,net.sci
Subject: Re: Small Nuclear Bombs
Message-ID: <7898@cca.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 17-May-86 01:22:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: cca.7898
Posted: Sat May 17 01:22:04 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 19-May-86 03:28:19 EDT
References: <358@drutx.UUCP> <1063@whuxl.UUCP> <2384@jhunix.UUCP>
Reply-To: g-rh@cca.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge
Lines: 27
Xref: linus net.politics:15299 net.sci:573
Summary: Lifetimes of Californium Isotopes

In article <> jmc@riccb.UUCP (Jeff McQuinn ) writes:
>>     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.
>> 
>
>Californium, isn't that one of those wonderful man-made elements whose shelf
>life can be measured in microseconds? No wonder it's "theoretically" possible.
>
	Isotope #	Half Life

	Cf-249		360  years
	Cf-250		 13  years
	Cf-251		800  years
	Cf-252		2.65 years

"Californium-252, because 3 percent of its decay occurs by spontaneous
fission, is industrially and medically important as a very intense point
source of neutrons.  One microgram releases 170,000,000 neutrons per
minute."  -- Encyclopedia Brittannica, 1979.

	I suppose that ill-informed, foolish remarks do have some
merit -- they induce one to do a bit of reading to get the data to
refute them.

			Richard Harter, SMDS Inc.