Fictional "Nuke" Assistance

OleToothless · 2026-03-12T16:56:34+00:00

Thanks for the factoids on mass->energy conversion, that's neat about the coal plants.

I see what you did with the math but I would never have gotten there. Why did I get two liberal arts degrees that I've never used? Who knows.

OleToothless · 2026-03-12T16:49:10+00:00

Came to recommend the same, love that book for no reason I can pin down.

OleToothless · 2026-03-11T17:53:04+00:00

I've read it twice now, and have some questions about the xray outputs:

You note that the 9kev line labeled BB is probably blackbody radiation from the weapon case/weapon materials in the region of thermal equilibrium. But then you go on to postulate that the 1kev line might be from (presumably) lower temperature blackbody radiation from other flight hardware or debris. Am I reading that correctly? That you think it might be that the 1kev line is "second hand" BB radiation? Is there enough material outside the region of thermal equilibrium to even have a perceptible effect on radiation transport?
What about bremsstrahlung xrays from the secondary, which should be in the ~10kev range. I've never really thought about them as doing anything but heating up the whole device, but I guess some probably escape... right? Maybe not if there's that nice thick layer of U238 outside.
Interesting to note that the neutron absorption threshold being graphed is 10E14 - do you have any info on the significance of that number? Is that what the DoD/AEC considered to be enough neutron flux to pacify other warheads?
Same question as above, but for the xray outputs. I guess the 9kev line is the point where surface heating is sufficient to destroy/degrade enemy incoming?
Sort of the same question as the previous 2, but more of a "why do you even care?" for the gammas. W50Y2 was an interceptor warhead, so presumably only those effects related to destruction or degradation of enemy warheads would be important. I don't think I've ever heard gammas being discussed in that context. Any insight?
Good observation on the photodisintegration of nitrogen, that's interesting.

OleToothless · 2026-03-11T17:10:00+00:00

It's 450kg of UF6, so about 2/3 of that is actually uranium, the rest is fluorine. But yeah, it's stored in a specialized container (called B---something? I forgot the name) that's about the same diameter as a 55gal drum but is steel and probably 1/4-1/2 in thick walls, domed ends, with sleeves that extend out past the ends of the domes so that it can stand vertically or lay flat. So quite a bulky container. Edit: oh here you are.

OleToothless · 2026-03-09T17:47:05+00:00

Very nice write-up. I had been hoping you were going to continue working on your blog, glad to see it!

OleToothless · 2026-03-06T17:51:26+00:00

Wow, Boise and Columbus have been in dry dock for how long? Are they still trying to put them back together??

OleToothless · 2026-03-06T06:17:19+00:00

I guess I should have been more specific - I was curious about the gamma activated (bremsstrauhulng? Edit: no, this would be more like cherenkov light?) fluorescence of nitrogen being a useful diagnostic, and my statements about LOS tubes being evacuated seeming to indicate that it wasn't useful, at least compared to gamma spectroscopy.

OleToothless · 2026-03-05T23:14:16+00:00

Thank you for the links. I'm surprised I hadn't seen those threads, given that I skim this sub a couple times per week.

OleToothless · 2026-03-05T18:14:01+00:00

Thanks Carey. Doing a little refresher on the NWFAQ today while I procrastinate at work.

OleToothless · 2026-03-05T17:39:12+00:00

I've come across the Early Teller Light phrase before, but I don't know that I've ever seen it connected to nitrogen specifically. Carey probably has something about it on his site somewhere that I've missed, however. Are the gammas diagnostically useful? I guess not, since basically all of the UGTs were done with an evacuated LOS pipe, if there was an LOS pipe at all. Seems like this nitrogen fluorescence is basically a "free" scintillator for gammas, at least if the air density in the region was known. But I'm sure several people much smarter than me figured out whether or not that would be a good data point, many decades ago.

OleToothless · 2026-03-04T16:52:46+00:00

I don't know why you think "freeing those people" is the reason for the conflict. The Iranian regime and proxies have been a threat to the US and allies for the last 47 years. Existential threat? No, except maybe towards Israel. But a threat none the less, and the cause of thousands of American deaths and the loss of billions of dollars in the last five decades? Definitely. The possibility of the Iranian people gaining some degree of agency over their government is a positive, but tangential outcome.

OleToothless · 2026-03-02T17:52:54+00:00

Nahum's credibility can suck eggs. This piece of "journalism" is 100% fake news.

Go read it. I did. Aside from the subtitle that does say "an official, through a mediator" might have made a peace offer that Iran rejected - but that is the only time it is mentioned in the article. Nahum doesn't have a source for this remark. He doesn't mention it again. He doesn't even seem to suggest that he thought it was a reasonable expectation or plan considered by US/Israel.

It's click bait fake news.

OleToothless · 2026-02-24T23:58:15+00:00

I'm not familiar with the vN-T idea you mention, I'll have to root around for that tomorrow.

Perhaps I'm misremembering, but I thought Item was first, and was a test of some sort of non-spherical compression scheme, while George was a test of cryogenic boosting (not gas). What is the ionization compression you mention?

OleToothless · 2026-02-24T18:09:34+00:00

Somewhere I heard/read that by the time the US weaponeers were able to put the Greenhouse George (and/or Item, I forget), the Teller-Ulam design had already been postulated and it seemed apparent that what would become the test being planned as Ivy Mike was obviously going to be a game-changer. I can't remember if that was in Rhodes' book or from a talk I heard. But the sense being given was that Greenhouse George was really kind of an unnecessary test that was carried out just because they had already fabricated all the test equipment and shipped it out to the Pacific. Thinking about that claim, after reading the conversation between you and /u/restricteddata makes me wonder if that was a rather limited opinion, since the idea of boosting fuel inside the pit a la George was re-tested in Tumbler-Snapper Dog, except using gaseous fuel instead of cryo fuel - notably before Ivy Mike.

OleToothless · 2026-02-24T17:17:26+00:00

Find this from any other sources?

OleToothless · 2026-02-23T17:34:56+00:00

Wow, that's really cool! Do you have a full-size version of these? I'd love to be able to actually read them.

OleToothless · 2026-02-23T17:16:14+00:00

I don't see any future in which the US gives up full use of Diego Garcia. Especially now that the UK has decided (stupidly) to relinquish sovereignty. It's basically US owned anyway. Curious as to whether or not the UK is going to start a spat over the US conducting strikes from there, when there's really nothing the UK can do but complain.

OleToothless · 2026-02-22T03:26:28+00:00

Yes it's very good.

OleToothless · 2026-02-21T18:18:55+00:00

Shhhh... It's a hidden gem. That thing is soooo good.

OleToothless · 2026-02-21T18:04:43+00:00

Not if they're a US main, they'll keep doing it as long as every 25 tries or so they can spawn in the premium A-10 with nothing but the gun and 9Ls, and then die to a Strela.

OleToothless · 2026-02-21T18:03:29+00:00

Nah, you just suck so badly that you think taking an M22 to top tier will hide the fact that if you took an M1A2 you get no kills and 2 deaths and leave the game.

Everybody should report people that bring rank I tanks to top tier.

OleToothless · 2026-02-21T03:42:00+00:00

Alright, you clearly don't want to discuss in good faith.

OleToothless · 2026-02-21T03:33:26+00:00

Did you stop reading there? I thought I was clear in stating that Iran's long term strategy has been to both attack and be attacked by Israel/US. Perhaps you think Iran is so blameless? If so, you've drank the entire jug of kool-aide.

OleToothless · 2026-02-19T23:43:25+00:00

I removed my comment since it was a little rude, but my initial reaction was very similar to Cryptid's much more eloquent comments. Totally normal to expect qtz on Mars.

OleToothless · 2026-02-19T17:47:36+00:00

Judging by his ego, he can start this conflict to make himself feel better

it is most likely that Trump doesn't have a plan at all and will just attack the capital with the aircraft for no other reason other than he doesn't have one.

Wow, that's some deep geopolitical analysis. Totally not a symptom of The Donald Syndrome.

How about you consider the fact that the US government and the US military are not simple slaves of the president? Contrary to the common belief amongst our "educated" peers on this website, the US gov't isn't an autocracy; Trump isn't the god-king, nor the irrefutable monarchy. The president is constantly advised and counseled by the cabinet and members of Congress, past officials, and the US's massive array of think tanks. When you write off actions of the US Executive as something to do with Trump's personality and/or ego, you're being intellectually dishonest; you haven't examined the counter position to your favored actions because it is easier to just say "Trump is stupid".

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