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U.S. Department of Energy
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Operation Greenhouse. Scientific Director's report of atomic weapon tests at Eniwetok, 1951. Annex 6. 8. cloud radiation field

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7248965

The object of this study was to measure the relationship between the spatial distribution of the radioactive fission products and the resultant radioactive field in an atomic-bomb cloud. Data obtained by the high-intensity rate meters and the jet impactors lead to the following conclusions: (1) There is a definite correlation between the particulate fission-particle density and the gamma-radiation intensity measured within the cloud; (2) The effective energy of the gamma radiation within the atomic bomb cloud is quite low, being of the order of 200 keV; (3) The structure of the atomic bomb cloud resembles a chimney with puffs of radioactive matter in the flue of the chimney; (4) The average roentgen dose accumulated by a plane passing through a cloud of the type tested in the Dog and Easy Shots 210 sec after bomb detonation is approximately 125 r. The average contamination on a plane after passing through a cloud is between 10 and 20 r/hr; no contamination could be detected within the plane; (5) The gamma-radiation effects extend beyond the limits of the particulate radioactive fission products; and, (6) The visible cloud adn the fission-product particulate cloud from the bomb do not coincide exactly; the visible cloud extended beyond the fission-product-cloud in those instances where data were obtained.

Research Organization:
Naval Radiological Defense Lab., San Francisco, CA (USA)
OSTI ID:
7248965
Report Number(s):
AD-A-995291/2/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English