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OPERATION HARDTACK-PROJECT 8.2: THERMAL RADIATION FROM HIGH-ALTITUDE BURSTS (DELETED)

BRUBAKER, R M [AIR FORCE CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LABORATORY]; GAUVIN, H P [AIR FORCE CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LABORATORY]; STAIR, A T [AIR FORCE CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LABORATORY]; CAHILL, J P [AIR FORCE CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LABORATORY]; BAKER, D J [AIR FORCE CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LABORATORY]; JONES, E A [COOK RESEARCH LABORATORIES, COOK ELECTRIC CO, CHICAGO, IL]; CARPENTER, J W

HARDTACK I OPERATION; THERMAL RADIATION; ATMOSPHERIC EXPLOSIONS; YUCCA EVENT; ORANGE EVENT; TEAK EVENT; MEASURING METHODS

Location - DOE/NNSA NUCLEAR TESTING ARCHIVE Address - P.O. Box 98521 City - Las Vegas State - NV Zip - 89193-8521 Phone - (702)794-5106 Fax - (702)862-4240 Email - NTA@NV.DOE.GOV

REPORT

1961 Oct 06

Sanitized

0069

NV0051020

WT1648EX

AIR FORCE CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH LABORATORY

1994 Aug 26

2003 Sep 18

THE OBJECTIVE WAS TO IMPROVE THE BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE PHYSICS OF HIGH-ALTITUDE NUCLEAR DETONATIONS BY MEASURING THE THERMAL RADIATION FROM THE HIGH-ALTITUDE SHOTS YUCCA, ORANGE, AND TEAK. SPECTRAL IRRADI ANCES OBTAINED BY DISTANT AIRBORNE INSTRUMENTATION ARE PRESENTED AS A FUNCTION OF TIME IN FOUR WAVELENGTH BANDS: 0.3 MICRONS TO 0.4 MICRONS, 0.4 MICRONS TO 0.5 MICRONS, 0.5 MICRONS TO 1 MICRON, AND 0.3 MICRONS TO 3.6 MICRONS. THE MEASUREMENTS ARE EXTRAPOLATED TO AN ASSUMED POINT SOURCE, AND THESE GENERALIZED RESULTS ARE DISCUSSED. SHOT YUCCA, A BALLOONBORNE DEVICE DETONATED AT 84,680 FEET, RADIATED APPROXIMATELY LIKE A BLACK BODY; AND, AS EXPECTED, THE THERMAL PULSE HAD THE CHARACT ERISTIC SHAPE OF A SEA LEVEL BURST. TIME TO FIRST MAXIMUM WAS APPROXI MATELY TIME TO MINIMUM WAS , AND TIME TO SECOND MAXIMUM WAS . THE THERMAL PULSE WAS OF SHORTER DURATION THAN A SIMILAR LOW-ALTITUDE BURST ALTHOUGH THE TOTAL THERMAL ENERGY WAS ABOUT THE SAME--40 PERCEN T OF THE DEVICE YIELD. SHOT ORANGE, A DEVICE CARRIED TO 140,990 F EET BY A REDSTONE ROCKET, SHOWED MARKED DEVIATIONS FROM LOW-ALTITUDE B URSTS. TIME TO FIRST MAXIMUM WAS : THE MINIMUM, WHICH WAS EVID ENT ONLY IN THE 0.5 MICRONS TO 1 MICRON REGION, OCCURRED AT ABOUT : AND THE PRIMARY THERMAL PULSE WAS OVER IN . THERE WAS A SHIFT IN THE SPECTRAL DISTRIBUTION TOWARD THE INFRARED. IN THE O.3 MICRONS TO 1 MICRON REGION THE TOTAL THERMAL ENERGY WAS 20 PERCENT OF THE YIEL D WHEREAS AN EXTRAPOLATED FIGURE FOR THE 0.3 MICRONS TO 3.6 MICRONS RE GION WAS 45 PERCENT OF THE YIELD. SHOT TEAK, A DEVICE CARRIED TO 250,380 FEET BY A REDSTONE ROCKET, HAD ONLY ONE THERMAL MAXIMUM OCCURR ING AT . THE PULSE THEN DECAYED. THE POWER RADIATED AT MAXIMUM, EXTRAPOLATED TO A POINT SOURCE, HAD A SPECTRAL DISTRIBUTION AS FOLLOWS: 0.3 MICRONS TO 0.4 MICRONS, 0.4 MICRONS TO 0.5 MICRONS , 0.5 MICRONS TO 1 MICRON, AND 0.3 MICRONS TO 3.6 MICRONS, BY SUBTRACTION, AN UPPER BOUND OF WATTS RADIATED AT WAVELENGTHS GR EATER THAN 1 MICRON IS OBTAINED. THE PRONOUNCED SHIFT OF THE RADIATIO N TOWARD THE INFRARED IS APPARENT. SIMPLE SCALING LAWS ARE NOT SUFFIC IENT TO PREDICT THE THERMAL RADIATION FROM A HIGH-ALTITUDE NUCLEAR DET ONATION. IN PARTICULAR THE POWER RADIATED IN THE INFRARED EXCEEDS BY A LARGE FACTOR THAT EXPECTED FROM A BLACK BODY OF DIMENSIONS COMPARABL E WITH THE VISIBLE FIREBALL. THIS IMPLIES THE EXISTENCE OF SOME MECHA NISM THAT IS PRODUCING A GREATER PROPORTION OF INFRARED RADIATION THAN WOULD BE OBTAINED USING THE EQUILIBRIUM BLACK BODY THEORY.