What is a cobalt bomb? Can cobalt bombs really destroy the whole earth?

Let's talk about what a cobalt bomb is first. Cobalt bombs are fantasy weapons. In the 1950s, a physicist mentioned in a popular science program broadcast on the radio that if cobalt was added outside the atomic bomb, the neutrons produced after the atomic bomb explosion might enter cobalt 59 and generate cobalt 60.

Cobalt 60 is a highly radioactive substance. It can pollute the explosion area for a century. It is estimated that the radioactivity of cobalt bombs is 15000 times that of ordinary atomic bombs. -there is nothing wrong with fifteen thousand!

As soon as this theory came out, the US military began to set up an expert group to study cobalt bombs.

This study took 14 years. 1964, a research team of the us air force wrote a research report, radiation warfare. With the presentation of this report, the research on the legendary killer of cobalt bombs is over. Finally, there were no cobalt bullets, and then ...

In fact, of all the photos about cobalt belts circulated on the Internet, only the title picture is true. The researchers are examining photos of the neutron generator hitting the target. For real cobalt bombs, humans have not even assembled test devices.

This widely circulated photo of a cobalt bomb.

This is an experimental institution. It has been verified that such a structure cannot produce a large amount of cobalt 60.

The picture above shows the cobalt bomb model established during the research. It was later proved that cobalt bombs could not be manufactured by the device shown in the above picture. In addition, this equipment is assembled in 1954.

Of course, human madness often triumphs over rationality, so crazy scientists struggled for 10/0 years from 1954 to 1964, and finally gave up the research on cobalt bombs. Fortunately.

Why the cobalt bomb can't be molded mainly depends on the formation principle of cobalt 60.

Cobalt 60 evolved from cobalt 59 under the bombardment of fast neutrons. However, the relative density of cobalt is relatively small, so cobalt 59 block must capture a large number of neutrons to evolve into a very small part of cobalt 60.

Moreover, neutrons are electrically neutral and have only a weak magnetic moment, so it is difficult to accelerate neutrons except heat, so it is difficult to converge neutrons.

In this way, there are three design schemes for cobalt bombs:

The first is to use cobalt as the shell of the atomic bomb, which absorbs a certain amount of cobalt when the atomic bomb explodes, but only produces a very small amount of cobalt 60.

The second is to set a beryllium metal reflector in the nuclear bomb to reflect and focus neutrons so that they converge on the cobalt 59 block. Although this design can produce more cobalt 60, the consequence is that the diffusion of this cobalt 60 block is very small, and the radiation diffusion range is not as large as the nuclear weapon itself.

The third scheme is to dope nuclear fuel with cobalt 59 particles. This plan is even funnier. Less doping means nothing, and more doping means that the chain reaction of nuclear fusion doesn't happen at all.

So all three roads were blocked. Let's forget it.

However, the research on cobalt 60 is not over, and the cobalt 60 used now is actually the residue of cobalt 59 metal block put in nuclear reactor for neutron bombardment. This is a rather long process, and it often takes several years from the time when cobalt 59 is put into the reactor to the time when cobalt 60 with an abundance of 5% is produced.

Is it difficult to understand this concept, so let's talk about the industrial production of cobalt 60:

There is a research project at Qinshan Nuclear Power Station in China, which uses neutrons in nuclear reactors to bombard cobalt 59 to produce medical cobalt 60.

The output reaches 6 million curies per year. "Curie" is a quantifier that marks radioactivity. One Curie means that 3.7E 10 atoms decay in one second. That is to say-3.7 billion atoms decay in one second, remember this amount.

Above, the cobalt 60 production device in the nuclear reactor.

So what are the 3.7 billion cobalt 60 atoms? 0.885 mg, then it can be calculated that 6 million curies is about 5.3 1 kg. The two 600 MW reactors in Qinshan Nuclear Power Station can produce 5.3 1 kg cobalt 60 a year.

Compared with nuclear reactors, atomic bombs are just a drop in the ocean. It is still possible that 3-5 grams of cobalt 60 produced by the atomic bomb can destroy a street, but is the atomic bomb worse than the area of such a street?

So if the cobalt bomb destroyed the earth-wrong!

All scientific and technological progress must first serve military science and technology. In the era of nuclear physics discovery, mankind developed the atomic bomb, that is, before the nuclear reactor was built, the atomic bomb was developed first. In fact, the cobalt bomb contains a cobalt bomb 59, which is wrapped around the neutron bomb. Once exploded, neutrons will bombard cobalt bomb 59 in large quantities, and this nuclear reaction process will form cobalt 60. When cobalt 60 decays, it will release strong rays and interrupt the DNA of life on earth. Cobalt bomb is an invention that human beings play with themselves to death.

Cobalt bomb is a new type of nuclear weapon proposed by physicist Leo Szilard in 1950, claiming that detonating cobalt bomb in the stratosphere can destroy all mankind. Nuclear weapons are used to compete for benefits and accelerate the war process. Not to destroy each other. Obviously, you dare to throw a cobalt bomb, which proves that we are fighting this war with the consciousness of mutual destruction. Who dares to fight this war and who can afford it?

Because of the power of cobalt bombs, some countries began to develop cobalt bombs, and found it very troublesome and difficult to develop them. Instead of making great efforts to develop them, it is better to simply and rudely throw more hydrogen bombs. So I gave up the research and development of cobalt bombs. Judging from the development trend of weapons in the world, the development of nuclear bombs is becoming more and more practical and miniaturized. If you are going to destroy the earth, how will you fight this war? To kill the enemy, you even killed yourself.

Gamma rays produced by cobalt bomb explosion have high penetrability and long-term continuity, and enter the human body and ionize with cells in the body. Ions produced by ionization can corrode complex organic molecules, such as protein, nucleic acids and enzymes. Once these main components of active cells are destroyed, normal chemical processes in the human body will be disturbed and even cells will die.

Even if the cobalt bomb is successfully developed, can it really destroy all mankind? I don't think so. If it can destroy all mankind, what is the significance of man creating him? Is there really such an extreme person who wants the whole world to accompany her to death? Do you really think this is a Hollywood blockbuster? Cobalt bullets mainly kill people by releasing gamma rays, which can kill not only cancer cells but also normal cells, so people think of destroying all mankind.

No country is willing to develop such a weapon that harms others and does not benefit itself. So far, it is only an imaginary nuclear weapon. If someone uses this weapon crazily, we also have ways to guard against the threat of radiation. Although the penetration of gamma rays is relatively strong, it is not unstoppable. Only concrete or lead plate with sufficient thickness is needed to block gamma rays.

Nuclear weapons are the most mysterious field in any country, especially China and the United States. At present, the world's nuclear weapons have basically reached a balance, and the implementation of the "nuclear restraint" policy has made all countries in the world afraid to use nuclear weapons easily, making the possibility of nuclear war infinitely close to zero. In short, nuclear energy is a double-edged sword, and whether it can benefit mankind depends on how we use it!

Text/situation decoding

Cobalt bomb is only a conceptual nuclear weapon, which does not exist in reality, and no country is willing to develop such a frenzied weapon. 1950, physicist Leo Szilard first put forward the idea of cobalt bomb, and claimed that it could destroy all human beings, so the idea of destroying human beings with cobalt bomb has been passed down to this day. The name cobalt bomb sounds bluffing, but in fact it is just a dirty bomb made of atomic bomb or hydrogen bomb, not a high-tech weapon, and its power remains to be verified.

Cobalt bomb is to wrap a layer of metal cobalt 59 around an atomic bomb or a hydrogen bomb, and then use high-energy neutrons generated by a nuclear explosion to hit the metal cobalt, making it a nuclide cobalt 60. Cobalt 60 is a radionuclide, which will produce high-energy β -rays and γ -rays during its decay, which will have a serious impact on life. Because of the long half-life of cobalt 60, it is difficult for human beings to completely escape its radioactivity, so Siladeok thinks that cobalt bombs will bring disaster to human beings.

In fact, among all radionuclides, cobalt 60 is not the most toxic nuclide, and the radiation pollution produced by atomic bombs or hydrogen bombs is not weaker than cobalt 60, so it is a chicken rib to increase the radiation lethality with cobalt 60. In addition, the yield of cobalt 60 produced by neutron bombardment of cobalt 59 is very low. It is estimated that the weight of cobalt 59 in the production process is very large, even exceeding the reserves on the earth, if the cobalt bomb is to destroy all mankind. No matter from which point of view, the cobalt bomb is "nonsense", which is impossible to realize in reality, not to mention that no country can destroy everyone with ecstasy.

Szilard put forward the concept of cobalt bomb only to remind people of the danger of nuclear weapons, but failed to realize that this kind intention has turned into a talk for a good man to create panic. It is really sad. In today's world situation, no country can easily use nuclear weapons, which are harmful to others. After all, no one can control where the radioactive dust produced by the explosion floats, let alone the "mutually assured destruction" of the cobalt bomb.

A: The cobalt bomb is a theoretical weapon. At present, no nuclear power dares to experiment. If it is really made, it really only takes one to destroy all mankind.

The power of nuclear weapons is terrible. 1945 The atomic bomb dropped by the United States on Hiroshima, Japan, immediately killed nearly 90,000 people. Hydrogen bombs are more powerful than atomic bombs, but there are weapons more powerful than hydrogen bombs.

With people's understanding of atoms, scientists found that the isotope cobalt -60 has special properties. 1950, American nuclear physicist Leo Szilard put forward the idea of cobalt bomb in theory.

Cobalt bomb: After iron, the element cobalt has many isotopes, among which cobalt -59 is a stable isotope. If cobalt -59 material is covered on the shell of neutron bomb, a large number of neutrons will be released when the neutron bomb explodes, and cobalt -59 will absorb neutrons and become cobalt -60, which will release terrible gamma rays, which will have a fatal impact on living things.

If the cobalt bomb is detonated in the stratosphere, then the cobalt -60 will be scattered around the world with the atmospheric movement, and the high-energy rays released when the cobalt -60 decays can destroy human beings and most of the creatures in the world.

Cobalt -60 has a half-life of 5.27 years, and is transformed into nickel -60 through β decay, at the same time releasing 1. 17 MeV and 1.33 MeV gamma rays. Wherein beta rays are high-energy electrons and gamma rays are high-energy photons.

Electrons are negatively charged, so high-energy electrons are easily shielded. As long as cobalt -60 does not enter the human body, β -rays do little harm to the human body. But gamma rays are deadly, and the half-life of cobalt -60 is only about 5 years, which means that a small amount of cobalt -60 will release a lot of gamma rays.

Gamma rays will not only interrupt biological DNA, but also cause ionization of cell tissues, thus completely destroying biological protein and hindering the normal work of biological cells. Moreover, the penetration of gamma rays is extremely strong, and it can pass through the cement wall with a thickness of 1 m and the lead plate with a thickness of 20 cm, which cannot be shielded by ordinary buildings.

The characteristics of cobalt bombs are that the gamma rays produced by cobalt bombs will only have a serious impact on living things and can be aimed at human beings all over the world; But as time goes on, cobalt -60 will decay one day.

Because cobalt bombs need three-phase bombs to provide neutron sources, which belong to the third generation of nuclear weapons, only a few nuclear powers can manufacture cobalt bombs; But no one dares to do this weapon that destroys mankind!

Cobalt bomb is actually a theoretical weapon, and it is a big killer that ends up with the enemy. Cobalt bomb is also a nuclear bomb in essence, but it can cause more lasting harm to human beings after explosion. This kind of damage is enough to last until human extinction, so no country is willing to develop cobalt bombs, which is why people say that a cobalt bomb can destroy the whole earth.

The cobalt bomb is wrapped with a layer of metal cobalt 59 around the atomic bomb or hydrogen bomb. When a nuclear bomb explodes, high-energy neutrons hit this metal substance, and cobalt 59 will become cobalt 60 during this nuclear reaction. Cobalt 60 is a radioactive nuclide, which produces high-energy β -rays and γ -rays in the process of decay. It is radioactive and long enough to threaten the whole world. The radioactivity of cobalt bomb is 15000 times that of ordinary nuclear bomb. Its power lies not in the physical damage during the explosion, but in the subsequent radiation shock, which can interrupt the DNA in the organism and bring disaster to the organism.

Such a powerful weapon should be sought after by all countries, but it is precisely because of its great power that no country is willing to manufacture and use it. Nuclear weapons were invented a long time ago, but they are basically not used in war. Their greater role is to show deterrence. Conventional nuclear weapons already have a strong deterrent, so there is no need to engage in this kind of cobalt bomb that hurts people and hurts themselves. Any country that makes cobalt bombs is an enemy of mankind and the whole world.

Although the cobalt bomb can destroy the earth in theory, it is not really made, so it is not an exaggeration to say that it is fake. After all, it is still a world of nuclear weapons. In a word, we should believe this: mankind will not make weapons to destroy mankind.

It is impossible to destroy the earth, but it is enough to destroy life on the earth. First of all, the cobalt bomb is a theoretical nuclear weapon. The principle of this nuclear weapon is actually very simple, that is, a layer of cobalt is wrapped on the surface of the hydrogen bomb.

Then when we detonate the hydrogen bomb, the hydrogen bomb will release a lot of neutrons, which will hit the cobalt on the surface of the hydrogen bomb, making cobalt 59 become cobalt 60, and finally cobalt 60 will decay into nickel 60.

Then when cobalt 60 decays into nickel 60, this process will release intense gamma rays, which must be known to many students as an extremely deadly radiation.

Therefore, under the radiation of gamma rays, people and animals on the earth will die, and the half-life of cobalt 60 is more than 5 years, so the cobalt bomb will continue to release gamma rays for 5 years.

So we can imagine that if a cobalt bomb explodes in the sky, its dust with strong radiation will spread all over the earth, and then the whole nature will start a new round of mass extinction.

Although the technical level of human beings is acceptable, it can be said that 99% of human beings will die under the long-term radiation of gamma rays, and those who survive will also be infected with various diseases and eventually become extinct.

Yes, cobalt bombs are so terrible in theory, but there is a problem with cobalt bombs, that is, the conversion rate of neutrons hitting cobalt is relatively low, and it is also very difficult to develop.

In addition, considering the strong pollution of cobalt bombs, if such weapons are intercepted by opponents, the consequences will be unbearable for human beings, so cobalt bombs do have lethality, but no country has really made them. ...

Cobalt bomb is only a kind of nuclear weapon in theory, but it has not been developed in reality. If weapons are classified into three or six grades according to their personality, then cobalt bombs are definitely the dirtiest one. The radiation produced by the decay of cobalt 60 will destroy biological DNA, and all life on earth will perish in a short time. The radiation of this bomb is more serious, and it will also produce more intense gamma rays.

His principle is similar to that of a three-phase bomb, also known as a uranium hydrogen bomb. On the basis of the atomic bomb, it is surrounded by a layer of deuterium and tritium materials. The nuclear fission of the atomic bomb hits the shell to produce a more powerful fusion reaction and release more powerful energy. This is a hydrogen bomb. The shell of the three-phase bomb is covered with a layer of depleted uranium (uranium -238). The explosion of Yun-10 hydrogen bomb will impact Li -6 material, produce new tritium, and intensify a new round of thermonuclear fusion.

To put it simply, the special shell on the atomic bomb package becomes a hydrogen bomb, and the hydrogen bomb package is wrapped with special materials and becomes a three-phase bomb, while the cobalt bomb turns the outermost material into cobalt. Neutrons generated by the hydrogen bomb explosion hit cobalt, transforming cobalt 59 into radioactive isotope cobalt 60, which decayed into nickel 60, and together released gamma rays with the values of1.65,438+0.33 MeV..

Scientists speculate that cobalt bombs will explode in the stratosphere of the atmosphere. The explosion will not only release more serious radiation pollution than ordinary "dirty bombs", but also explode very strong gamma rays. It will produce a lot of radioactive cobalt 60, which will fall back to the earth like dust, covering an area as large as Europe. Strong nuclear radiation lasting for five years will make Europe a no-man's land. This is the legend that cobalt bombs will destroy a Europe, only based on scientists' speculation.

This kind of "dirty bomb" was formally put forward and studied by the US Air Force, but it was dropped because it was really unnecessary. Once such a weapon comes out, the consequences are unimaginable. Do you think it is a sin if the cobalt bomb releases cobalt 60 into the whole stratosphere? The whole biosphere of the earth will be destroyed. If it can survive, it is also an extremely individual microorganism. Living like human beings basically bid farewell to survival.

Earth: OK, OK, I'm destroyed again. You humans are very happy.

Since the invention of gunpowder, human beings seem to like listening to sounds. Ordinary gunpowder can't satisfy human beings, so human beings invented the atomic bomb. This is a great effort, but human beings still feel that it is not enough, so they invented the hydrogen bomb. We know that the detonation conditions of hydrogen bombs are relatively high and need to be detonated by atomic bombs. However, human beings still think that the hydrogen bomb is not enough to listen to sound, so a layer of uranium 238 is wrapped around the hydrogen bomb. We call it a three-phase bomb, which greatly improves its power. This time, it's interesting. The Soviet Union's extinct weapon "Tsar" bomb has a similar structure, with an explosion equivalent of 50 million TNT equivalent, which is still reduced. The original design was 1 100 million equivalent, but even after the reduction, the power is still the most powerful weapon that human beings have mastered so far. Let's go back to the cobalt bomb. This so-called cobalt bomb was put forward by physicist Leo Szilard in 1950. In fact, it is also a kind of three-phase bomb. The difference is that the outermost uranium 238 is replaced by cobalt. This element mainly exists in the form of cobalt 59 in nature, but once a neutron is absorbed, it will become terrible cobalt 60. This thing will emit high-intensity gamma rays, that is, in theory, if the cobalt bomb is in the stratosphere of the earth.

In fact, this thing is just YY. It is difficult for people to change cobalt 59 into cobalt 60. And when cobalt 59 explodes, most of it will be blown back to grandma's house. Without the chance to combine neutrons, both opportunities and conditions can't be met. In addition, weapons are used to scare people, not to destroy mankind. If they are easily destroyed, what else do you play? Therefore, the future atomic bomb will be miniaturized and clean.

This thing can't even destroy human beings, and it wants to destroy the earth. Besides, there is no need to develop it. On the other hand, even if mankind dies, the earth doesn't believe it at all. At present, our small nuclear weapons can only tickle humans.

1950, physicist Leo Szilard first put forward the idea of cobalt bomb, and claimed that it could destroy all human beings, so the idea of destroying human beings with cobalt bomb has been passed down to this day. The name cobalt bomb sounds bluffing, but in fact it is just a dirty bomb made of atomic bomb or hydrogen bomb, not a high-tech weapon, and its power remains to be verified.

To put it bluntly, the cobalt bomb is a three-phase bomb. The difference is that the outermost uranium 238 is replaced by cobalt. Cobalt mainly exists in the form of cobalt 59 in nature, but once it absorbs a neutron, it will become a terrible cobalt 60, thus emitting high-intensity gamma rays.

The reason why the cobalt bomb can detonate the earth is that many experts believe that if the cobalt bomb is successfully developed, the gamma rays generated by its explosion will affect the DNA of organisms through the atmosphere, thus destroying human beings, and there will be no living things on the earth at that time.

1950, physicist Leo Szilard first put forward the idea of cobalt bomb. When cobalt bomb explodes, the decay of cobalt -60 will produce extremely penetrating and deadly gamma rays, so the cobalt bomb that explodes in the stratosphere can destroy the whole life on earth.

However, the purpose of war is to gain benefits, not to let everyone die together. To outdo each other, how simple is it to let a pesticide plant switch to chemical weapons for two months? Then throw it away, and people will die. Who dares to use this highly radioactive weapon?

Even if it is made, it is still stored in an arsenal, which is extremely difficult to maintain and easily kills maintenance personnel.

The typical ideal is full and the reality is skinny.

Secondly, toxicity without dose is a deceptive trick.

A few kilograms of cobalt is dead, so it is impossible to drop a gram on the whole square kilometer of the earth.

No matter how toxic it is, what's the point of such a small amount?

In fact, the five favorite nuclear weapons in the world are neutron bombs, which are very simple and clean. If you sell on 1 day, you can occupy the position the next day. Moreover, neutron bombs are mainly used to kill people and have little impact on construction machinery.

Clean, convenient and pollution-free.

The goal of a nuclear bomb is cleanliness, not endless trouble.