Image:TellerUlamAblation.png

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This is a graphic depicting five steps in the operation of a Teller-Ulam type thermonuclear bomb, including the radiation thermal distribution and pusher ablation process.

The depicted steps are:

Bomb before detonation. The nested spheres at the top are the fission primary; the cylinders below are the fusion secondary device.
Fission primary's explosives have detonated and collapsed the primary's fissile pit.
The primary's fission reaction has run to completion, and the primary is now at several million degrees and radiating gamma and hard X-rays, heating up the inside of the hohlraum (radiation case) and the shield and secondary's tamper.
The primary's reaction is over and it has expanded. The surface of the pusher for the secondary is now so hot that it is also ablating or expanding away, pushing the rest of the secondary (tamper, fusion fuel, and fissile spark plug) inwards. The spark plug starts to fission. Not depicted: the radiation case is also ablating and expanding outwards (omitted for clarity of diagram).
The secondary's fuel has started the fusion reaction and shortly will burn up, and then blow the remaining components of the bomb apart.

It was created by George William Herbert on August 13, 2005, and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution + Share Alike License 2.0

This image is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution ShareAlike License v. 2.0:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Georgewilliamherbert 05:56, 14 August 2005 (UTC)

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(del) (cur) 05:54, 14 August 2005 . . Georgewilliamherbert (Talk | contribs) . . 1600×774 (122,749 bytes) (This is a graphic depicting five stages of the operation of a Teller-Ulam type thermonuclear bomb, including the radiation thermal distribution and pusher ablation process.)