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Title: Air Activation Following an Atmospheric Explosion

Abstract

In addition to thermal radiation and fission products, nuclear explosions result in a very high flux of unfissioned neutrons. Within an atmospheric nuclear explosion, these neutrons can activate the various elemental components of natural air, potentially adding to the radioactive signature of the event as a whole. The goal of this work is to make an order-of-magnitude estimate of the total amount of air activation products that can result from an atmospheric nuclear explosion.

Authors:
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1122331
Report Number(s):
PNNL-23023
NN2003000
DOE Contract Number:  
AC05-76RL01830
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS; Thermal Radiation; Fission Products; Nuclear Explosions; unfissioned neutrons; atmospheric nuclear explosion; radioactive signature; high neutron flux

Citation Formats

Lowrey, Justin D., McIntyre, Justin I., Prichard, Andrew W., and Gesh, Christopher J. Air Activation Following an Atmospheric Explosion. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.2172/1122331.
Lowrey, Justin D., McIntyre, Justin I., Prichard, Andrew W., & Gesh, Christopher J. Air Activation Following an Atmospheric Explosion. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1122331
Lowrey, Justin D., McIntyre, Justin I., Prichard, Andrew W., and Gesh, Christopher J. 2013. "Air Activation Following an Atmospheric Explosion". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1122331. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1122331.
@article{osti_1122331,
title = {Air Activation Following an Atmospheric Explosion},
author = {Lowrey, Justin D. and McIntyre, Justin I. and Prichard, Andrew W. and Gesh, Christopher J.},
abstractNote = {In addition to thermal radiation and fission products, nuclear explosions result in a very high flux of unfissioned neutrons. Within an atmospheric nuclear explosion, these neutrons can activate the various elemental components of natural air, potentially adding to the radioactive signature of the event as a whole. The goal of this work is to make an order-of-magnitude estimate of the total amount of air activation products that can result from an atmospheric nuclear explosion.},
doi = {10.2172/1122331},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1122331}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Mar 13 00:00:00 EDT 2013},
month = {Wed Mar 13 00:00:00 EDT 2013}
}