The time scale at which things occur in a nuke is amazing. Triggering of various data collection systems is calculated very precisely, and it doesn’t always work out perfectly.
I worked in the Nuclear test field in the early 90’s when we were conducting the final tests. There was one fiberoptic instrument that I was aware of (having worked on it a bit), but it was never fielded prior to the end of testing.
Not arguing, but always curious, see:
The United States has been the world leader in HEMP technology since the first articles on the subject appeared in the early 1960’s. These scientific papers appeared in the open literature, which allowed the Soviet Union to become active in the field. The general consensus is that Soviet (now Russian) capabilities lag years behind those of the United States. Nonetheless, Soviet interest in pulsed-power, which began under A.D. Sakharov, should call attention to the possibility that some of the Soviet HEMP program was very closely held. HEMP capabilities have been acquired by the European nations, including Sweden and Switzerland. Many of these countries have developed active programs that include the use of simulators operating nearly at the threat level. Papers presented at recent unclassified conferences by participants from the countries of the former Warsaw Pact indicate that they lag significantly behind the West in both simulation and theoretical understanding. Several foreign vendors produce equipment comparable to that available from U.S. sources. France manufactures pulse generators, field sensors, fiber-optic links, transient digitizers, and measurement systems; England manufactures 1-GHz band-width fiber-optic links used mainly in HEMP and conducts high-power microwave research. Switzerland and Israel have also developed test/simulation equipment of high quality.
Source:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/intro/nuke/test.htm
Yup the stuff goes fast. Please see
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/
If you are not already familiar with it.
Thanks for the input!