Alex WellersteinVerified account

Guess first questions is why are those components different than those on the Fat Man device? Is it some requirement inherent in gun type weapon? The need for steel and hence the alloys vs an implosion weapon? They both have a tampers though..?

Role of the tamper is the same in both devices: hold the reacting material together longer, reflect neutrons back into the core. Improves efficiency. They used unenriched U metal for the FM tamper.

I don't recall seeing any explanation of why they used WC in LB instead of U, though they also studied U. My guess (half-memory?) is that they were worried about excess neutrons in the core causing predetonation possibilities. U has a real background neutron rate, WC does not.

So I have a declassed doc on this in which that sentence is redacted but it’s obviously what is said re: neutrons from natrl U. Let me get out of class and I will send.

https://twitter.com/nuclearanthro/status/935011250811035649?s=21 … It’s from one of the glasstone classed docs on nukes. Will get full citation later.

So much math in nuclear physics If only it was easier to calculate Z in my back yard breeder reactor shielding. Half of that statement is true I hate math and skipped half of Glasstone because it was using Greek symbols