Neutron Bomb Inventor Dies at 89

NY Times ^ | 12/01/10 | ROBERT D. McFADDEN

[DBrow]

McVeigh’s bomb was 0.0035 kilotons, with no neutrons, though.

The Walking Ghosts would need medical care once they recovered from the initial dose. They’d be combat effective for a little while, then serious long-term effects would begin.

Military personnel dosimeters go up to 600 REM, it takes something like 300 to (eventually) kill you. You will survive a dose several times 600, but you’ll go to sleep initially, then wake up and read your dosimeter.

It’s during that initial go to sleep period that opposing troops would use HEAT rounds and sabots to tap each tank.

[alexander_busek]

Unmentioned in the entry is what effect all that neutron radiation would have on the structures left behind. In terms of decontamination, it might have been nearly as bad as a pure fission bomb.

In college, we undergrad Physics majors were allowed access to our department's own neutron source, which was positioned in the center of an approx. 100-liter tank of water into which - through a tunnel - materials could be slid in order to bombard them with neutrons and make them radioactive so that one could then analyze the decay and detect the presence of and quantify even miniscule quantities of virtually any of the heavier elements present in the sample (say, the amount of some impurity like lead in a coppy penny).

After overnight irradiation, it was no problem handling the exposed objects with unprotected hands.

We also sent samples of our own hair in to a research reactor, where the samples could be exposed to a much higher flux of neutrons. This made it possible to detect and quantify even the barest traces of impurities (e.g., parts per trillion of gold - in your hair).

Even such samples were harmless to handle after a cooling-down time of a few hours.

Remember: The more radioactive (due to short-lived isotopes) a substance is, the faster it decays, and the sooner it is safe to handle.

Regards,

[Gandalf_The_Gray]

It was similar in yield to the Davy Crockett device, but was slower in operation and produced lots of neutrons

The lethal radius (hard X-rays) was quoted in yards not miles. Blast effects were dependent on altitude when detonated.

Just the thing to counter the NKork's "million man army", no?

Regards,
GtG

[Mr Inviso]

Neutron activation analysis..a really interesting process. For a while it was even allowed to be used for forensic stuff, but the courts killed it (rightfully) a couple years ago.

[Larry Lucido]

I bought some of those to blow up some tree stumps. Total waste of money.

[Captain Rhino]

Alexander,

Thanks for taking time to bring me up to speed.

After making the initial posting, I did some additional reading and learned about the quick deterioration in neutron radioactivity that you wrote about. Apparently, the attack area would be safe (from a radiation perspective) within relatively short period.

[Captain Rhino]

You will survive a dose several times 600, but you’ll go to sleep initially, then wake up and read your dosimeter.

Just so I am clear...by "initially" you mean within a very short period (like a couple of minutes (or less)) of the neutron bomb attack?

BTW, thanks for taking time to bring me up to speed.

[Tolsti2]

To knock you out, it would take, what, 10000?

There is a point where you’d outright go into convulsions and die, somewhere over 10,000 on the spot.

[DBrow]

Pretty much as you state. I can’t get into exact details, but around attack time you nod off, then wake up, unless someone hit your cage with a DU projectile at Mach 30 while you were napping.

[Captain Rhino]

...unless someone hit your cage with a DU projectile at Mach 30 while you were napping.

Drat! I really hate that when it happens. ;-)

Thanks again.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[Grizzled Bear]

Are you feeling a bit lost?

[Logic n' Reason]

Are you feeling a bit lost?

Yep...sure am. Posted in the wrong place!! That's what I get for growin' my own.....er......"broccli"