Hydrogen Bomb

Hydrogen Bomb

            The developer of the hydrogen bomb was Edward Teller, who had explored the idea during the Manhattan Project. People like J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and I.I. Rabi opposed the idea of the atomic bomb. The hydrogen bomb drives most of its energy from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen isotopes. Unlike the atomic bomb, which functions by using fission, the hydrogen bomb functions by using fusion. Fusion is the process of combining Nuclei together and releasing kinetic energy. This process is also what powers the sun. Because extremely high temperatures are required in order to initiate fusion reaction, the hydrogen bomb is also known as a thermonuclear bomb. Also the bomb is about one thousand times stronger then the atomic bomb dropped of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

            In 1950 President Truman declared that the development of the hydrogen bomb will start. The first hydrogen bomb was tested in 1952 at Eniwetok by the U.S. The second was tested in 1953 by Russia. Great Brittan, France, and China also tested the bomb. These five countries make up the nuclear club, which means that they are able to produce the bomb and admit to maintaining an inventory of them. Several other nations either have tested the hydrogen bomb or have the capability to produce them, but officially they do not have a stockpile of such weapons.

            Like other explosions, the explosion of a hydrogen bomb creates an extremely hot zone near its center. Since it is so hot nearly all matter is vaporized and forms a gas to extremely high pressure. The shock wave given off from the explosion decreases as it goes further away from the explosion. This shock wave is responsible for the major part of the destructive effects of the hydrogen bomb’s explosion.

            It helped the United States stay ahead of the Soviet Union in the arms race during the cold war. It also put more fear people because if it was used on anyone it would have killed millions of people and would have destroyed many cities. In a way this helped prevent a war from breaking out because other countries were scared of getting bombed by the Hydrogen bomb. In American they had bomb drills that many people practiced.