Nuclear weapon definition pdf

A strategic nuclear weapon is a weapon to whose use or threat of use only the highest authority of the state can resort, conceptually and structurally. A nuclear weapon includes both the bomb or warhead and the delivery vehicle. Nuclear weapon, device designed to release energy in an explosive manner as a result of nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, or a combination of the two. Ngo nongovernmental organization new start treaty between the united states and russia on measures for the further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms nnws nonnuclearweapon state npt nuclear nonproliferation treaty. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The geopolitics of nuclear weapons geopolitical futures. Kristensen, federation of american scientists, 2016 slide 2. Broadly defined, a nuclear weapon is an explosive device that converts matter into energy. The relevance of environmental law for nuclear weapons. These treaties cover latin america and the caribbean, the south pacific, southeast asia, africa and central asia. But the postcold war world is decidedly not post nuclear. Nuclear weapon definition of nuclear weapon by medical.

In all except the last, the explosive energy of deployed devices is derived primarily from nuclear fission, not fusion pure fission weapons were the first nuclear weapons built and have so far been the only type. Nuclearweapon article about nuclearweapon by the free. Data obtained from this test, and others, culminated in the eventual deployment of the highest yielding us nuclear weapon known, and the highest yieldtoweight weapon ever made, a threestage thermonuclear weapon with a maximum dirty yield of 25 megatons, designated as the b41 nuclear bomb, which was to be carried by u. North korea, nuclear weapons, and the stabilityinstability paradox article pdf available in korean journal of defense analysis 282. Jenny cheng business insider a conventional explosive device rapidly burns up a chemical to cause a blast. International law and possession of nuclear weapons 22. A nuclear weapon also called an atom bomb, nuke, atomic bomb, nuclear warhead, abomb, or nuclear bomb is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission fission bomb or from a combination of fission and fusion reactions thermonuclear bomb.

Disarmament, nonproliferation, and the nuclearweaponsfree zones 10 1. Free thesaurus definition of nuclear weapons from the macmillan english dictionary a free english dictionary online with thesaurus and with pronunciation from macmillan education. The traditional focus on the nuclear test as marking the birth of a new nuclear weapon state fits the abovedescribed underlying concept quite well. Effects of nuclear weapons alexander glaser wws556d princeton university february 12, 2007 s. Even if they managed to strike japan, the united states or south korea with nuclear weapons a big if, given that they do not have a reliable delivery system. Nuclear weapon designs are physical, chemical, and engineering arrangements that cause the physics package of a nuclear weapon to detonate. The treaty defines an nws as one that had manufactured and exploded a nuclear weapon or other nuclear explosive device prior to january 1, 1967, which limits membership to the united states, the former soviet union and.

But the postcold war world is decidedly not postnuclear. Similar to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty, five treaties on regional nuclearweaponsfreezones require parties to conclude a comprehensive safeguards agreement with the iaea. The basics of nuclear weapons federation of american. Information and translations of nuclear weapon in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. In the interests of clarity, a list of terms and definitions has been included as. Nuclear proliferation is the spread of nuclear weapons, fissionable material, and weaponsapplicable nuclear technology and information to nations not recognized as nuclear weapon states by the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons, commonly known as the nonproliferation treaty or npt. Pdf north korea, nuclear weapons, and the stability. Taylor, a former nuclear weapons designer, received the us atomic energy commissions 1965 lawrence memorial award and was deputy director of the defense nuclear agency. As bill clintons first secretary of defense, les aspin, aptly put it, the cold war is over, the soviet union is no more. Apr 24, 2017 to build a nuclear weapon, a country must have technical knowledge and capabilities, access to materials, and a welldeveloped industrial sector. Accountability for use of nuclear weapons under international law 7 3. When bombarded by neutrons, certain isotopes of uranium and plutonium and some other heavier elements will split into atoms of lighter elements, a process known as nuclear fission.

When triggered, these devices release a huge amount of energy in the form of a nuclear explosion nuclear explosions can destroy a. Critical nuclear weapon design information cnwdi access to cnwdi is on a needtoknow basis special dod briefing required documents containing cnwdi must be marked and stored according to dod instruction 5210. Despite not having been used in anger since hiroshima and nagasaki, the atomic bomb is still the biggest threat that faces us in the 21st century. In this handbook, the term warhead is used to mean both warheads and bombs, and the terms weapon and warhead are used interchangeably. Fission weapons are commonly referred to as atomic bombs, and fusion weapons are referred to as thermonuclear bombs or, more commonly, hydrogen bombs. Testing nuclear weapons offers practical information about how the weapons function, as well as how detonations are affected by different conditions. Plutonium metal in its highest phase density, of 19. Nuclear weapon definition of nuclear weapon by the free. A weapon of mass destruction powered by the fission of the nuclei of heavy atomse.

The energy is produced by splitting the nucleus of an atom, resulting in a sustained chain reaction. A nuclear weapon is a highpowered explosive that uses nuclear energy, this includes the carrier vector, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarinelaunched ballistic missiles and part of the infrastructure involved in their handling and operation. The vicious circle of proliferation started with todays staunchest nonproliferation exponent. February 23, 2007, uploadsisisreportsdocumentsdprkenrichment22feb. Yusuf, nuclear futures introduction it is a paradox that few aspects of international security have been as closely scrutinized, but as incorrectly forecast, as the future nuclear landscape. The nuclearweapon states recognized under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty the united states 1945.

France china atmospheric 194563 194962 195258 196074 196480 215 219 21 50 23 underground 195192 196190 196291 196196 196996. Weapons of mass destruction that are powered by nuclear reaction. A widely used definition is that a nonstrategic nuclear weapon is a weapon that is. Nuclear weapon article about nuclear weapon by the free. Nuclear weapon principles of atomic fission weapons. A nuclear weapon, also known as a nuclear bomb or a nuke, is a weapon that suddenly releases the energy in the nucleus of certain types of atoms.

United states can be reduced to considerably lower. Not all sites are well secured against terrorists or criminals and nuclear security is only as strong as the weakest link. Disarmament, nonproliferation, and the nuclear weaponsfree zones 10 1. Proliferation has been opposed by many nations with and without nuclear weapons, as. France china atmospheric 194563 194962 195258 196074 196480 215 219 21 50 23 underground 195192 196190 196291 196196 196996 815 496 24 160 22 total 1030 715 45 210 45 528. Information and translations of nuclearweapon in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Ngo nongovernmental organization new start treaty between the united states and russia on measures for the further reduction and limitation of strategic offensive arms. Although nuclear weapons have only been used twice in warfarein the bombings of hiroshima. During the cold war, when it came to defining nuclear weapon states this. Types of nuclear weapons include atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, fission bombs, and fusion bombs.

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Civil society proponents have argued that a prohibition on nuclear weaponseither as an individual or. All nuclear weapons rely on the energy released by an explosively growing fission chain reactiona process in which heavy nuclei split into lighter ones following absorption of free neutrons and, in splitting, release more neutrons that in turn induce more fissions, and so on. Dec 31, 2019 a weapon that derives its energy from the nuclear reactions of either fission or fusion. The first fission atomic bomb test released the same amount of energy as approximately 20,000 tons of tnt. History, description, and implementation introduction this white paper is intended to provide insight into the current and iongstanding doe definition of nuclear weapon reliability, the historical and academic bases for this definition, the larger dod. Nuclear weapon definition, an explosive device whose destructive potential derives from the release of energy that accompanies the splitting or combining of atomic nuclei.

A nuclear weapon is a explosive device that uses a controlled uncontrolled nuclear chain reacon to release huge amounts of energy. A weapon that derives its energy from the nuclear reactions of either fission or fusion. In addition to this formation of lighter atoms, on average between 2. Under the treaty, the possession of nuclear weapons is prohibited by all states, except for the nuclear weapon states nws. The actions of countries in times of war are governed by international law that constantly changes with advancements in weapons technology. The dangers from such weapons arise from their very existence. Abomb, atom bomb, atomic bomb, fission bomb, plutonium bomb a nuclear weapon in which enormous energy is released by nuclear fission splitting the nuclei of a heavy element. Rewind back to august 6, 1945 when an atomic bomb named the little boy was dropped on the japanese city of hiroshima. Nuclear weapon definition and meaning collins english. A nuclear weapon is a highpowered explosive that uses nuclear energy, this includes the carrier vector, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarinelaunched ballistic missiles and part of the infrastructure involved in their handling and operation a nuclear bomb is an explosive device that uses the power of the reactions of atomic and subatomic. There are two types of nuclear weapons, atomic bombs and. Nonstrategic nuclear weapons may 2012 federation of american scientists.

Use of nuclear weapons under international law 5 1. Dolan the effects of nuclear weapons, third edition u. Nuclear weaponsscience tracer bulletlibrary of congress. Much of the nuclear jargon consists of words or phrases which are essentially descriptive terms whose meaning is generally agreed upon, but in fact do not have precise technical definitions in any military or civilian dictionaries. Nuclear weapons glossary 20 by ara barsamian, nnpi. A nuclear weapon is a device which derives its explosive energy from fission or a combination of fission and fusion processes. Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the effectiveness, yield, and explosive capability of nuclear weapons. Of the 31 countries that possess nuclear power plants, we have identified five important countries for which the acquisition of nuclear weapons would radically impact relations with both their.

A weapon, such as an atomic bomb or hydrogen bomb, whose destructive power comes from the release of nuclear energy. Nuclear weapons legal definition of nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapon nuclear weapon principles of atomic fission weapons. France china atmospheric 194563 194962 195258 196074 196480 215 219 21 50 23 under. Nuclear weapon designs are physical, chemical, and engineering arrangements that cause the physics package 1 of a nuclear weapon to detonate. National security and nuclear weapons in the 21 century. Nuclear weapons make use of one or two forms of interacons between atoms. Discussions of nuclear weapons and the policies which guide them often utilize terminology which lacks standardized definition. To build a nuclear weapon, a country must have technical knowledge and capabilities, access to materials, and a welldeveloped industrial sector. The term warheadtype is used to denote a population of weapons with the same design. Both bomb types release large quantities of energy. Nuclear forces continue to represent the ultimate deterrent capability that supports u. For all the effort to reduce nuclear stockpiles to zero, it seems. The effects nuclear weapons international panel on fissile.