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wellerstein's profile
Alex Wellerstein
Alex Wellerstein
Alex Wellerstein
Verified account
@wellerstein

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Alex WellersteinVerified account

@wellerstein

Historian of science, secrecy, and nuclear weapons. Professor of STS at @FollowStevens. UC Berkeley alum with a Harvard PhD. NUKEMAP creator. Coder and web dev.

Hoboken, NJ / NYC
blog.nuclearsecrecy.com
Joined September 2011

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    1. Artyom Lukin‏ @ArtyomLukin 3 Feb 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @SpaceCat4NonPro

      Yes, it implies so.

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
    2. Nathaniel Taylor‏ @SpaceCat4NonPro 3 Feb 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @ArtyomLukin

      Interesting. The September 2016 test yield was ~35 kt, this was the test the DPRK called a "hydrogen bomb." I took that to mean boosted with tritium. The September 2017 test was ~150kt, the DPRK claimed that was a two stage device.

      1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
    3. Nathaniel Taylor‏ @SpaceCat4NonPro 3 Feb 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @SpaceCat4NonPro @ArtyomLukin

      As I understand it, a Pu warhead can only get so big, whereas a U warhead is infinitely scalable. But I'm not sure I'm remembering that right. Summoning @GeorgeWHerbert and @NuclearAnthro

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
    4. GeorgeWilliamHerbert‏ @GeorgeWHerbert 3 Feb 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @SpaceCat4NonPro @ArtyomLukin @NuclearAnthro

      Very large fission only devices in U are preferable; predetonation is issue with that much Pu in one place. And critical mass. Especially critical mass. Yield gets better with more Mc but closer to 1.0 you are at rest, handling risks skyrocket...

      3 replies 0 retweets 3 likes
    5. Emerson Capuano‏ @emersoncapuano 1 Mar 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @GeorgeWHerbert @SpaceCat4NonPro and

      Both Uranium an Plutonium can be assembled as implosion configuration, but i have a doubt about output power of uranium implosion device. In the same configuration , could Uranium-implosion type warhead be more powerful than Plutonium implosion system?

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
    6. GeorgeWilliamHerbert‏ @GeorgeWHerbert 1 Mar 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @emersoncapuano @SpaceCat4NonPro and

      Uranium implosion has yielded up to 500 Kt (Super Oralloy Bomb / Mk-18)...

      1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
    7. Emerson Capuano‏ @emersoncapuano 2 Mar 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @GeorgeWHerbert @SpaceCat4NonPro and

      That' s awesome :) But which is more expensive to make: Uraniun or Plutonium? Plutoniun is get by irradiating Uranium in Fast reactor, by means of decay and chemical purity. In other words HEU requires more aparatus to bring it bot U233 and 235, both fissile.

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
    8. GeorgeWilliamHerbert‏ @GeorgeWHerbert 2 Mar 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @emersoncapuano @SpaceCat4NonPro and

      Plutonium is more expensive. The Uranium enrichment process is simpler and easier than reactors plus isotope separation of Pu.

      2 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
    9. Alex Wellerstein‏Verified account @wellerstein 2 Mar 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @GeorgeWHerbert @emersoncapuano and

      also just worth noting that if you have BOTH you can set up very efficient warheads — there can be a very economical "mix"

      1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
    10. Martin “Doomsday” Pfeiffer (⧖)  🏳️‍🌈‏ @NuclearAnthro 2 Mar 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @wellerstein @GeorgeWHerbert and

      Composite cores ftw! Historical example would suggest DPRK prob doing them too?

      3 replies 0 retweets 3 likes
      Alex Wellerstein‏Verified account @wellerstein 2 Mar 2018
      • Report Tweet
      Replying to @NuclearAnthro @GeorgeWHerbert and

      I mean, we know DPRK has a limited amount of Pu. A little bit of Pu goes a long way in a composite core, makes HEU implosion much easier to work with, apparently. Ratios I have seen are around 1:10 Pu:HEU for several US/UK Cold War devices.

      1:31 PM - 2 Mar 2018
      • 4 Likes
      • Michael Duitsman Nathaniel Taylor Martin “Doomsday” Pfeiffer (⧖) 🏳️‍🌈 GeorgeWilliamHerbert
      1 reply 0 retweets 4 likes
        1. GeorgeWilliamHerbert‏ @GeorgeWHerbert 2 Mar 2018
          • Report Tweet
          Replying to @wellerstein @NuclearAnthro and

          Right. The physics indicates that minimum mass is pure Pu but composite isn't hugely heavier. The cost savings seems very worthwhile. And for NK with apparent higher HEU production, limited Pu inventory...

          0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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