Residual Signatures from Thermonuclear Air Bursts.

Abstract

Prompt thermal heating of the ground, fission product deposition, and neutron activation were studied as possible indicators of nuclear weapon damage levels. The time of interest was the period of approximately 13 hrs following a 500 KT low altitude, non-cratering burst. Computer calculations indicate that prompt thermal heating will produce detectable residual signatures for up to 4 hrs. Fission product depositions were found to be unusable as damage-level indicators. Calculations for (n, gamma) reactions in a soil having 2.47% Na content indicate that measurable gamma fluxes would exist throughout the period of interest. (Author)

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1976
Accession Number
ADA034019

Entities

People

  • Gordon E. Kelly

Organizations

  • Air Force Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Beta Decay
  • Computer Programs
  • Detection
  • Detectors
  • Energy
  • Equations
  • Fission Products
  • Ground Zero
  • Heat Transfer
  • Neutron Activation
  • Physical Properties
  • Radiation
  • Surface Temperature
  • Temperature Gradients
  • Thermal Conductivity
  • Thermal Radiation

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Explosive Engineering.
  • Radar Systems Engineering.
  • Thermal Physics or Thermal Science.