Posted on 02/05/2012 5:58:47 PM PST by TigerLikesRooster
Isotopes hint at North Korean nuclear test
Data suggest that the country has experimented with a fusion boost to its fission weapons.
Geoff Brumfiel
03 February 2012
/snip
Isotope detective
De Geer’s theory rests on the detection of several short-lived radioisotopes that are generated during man-made nuclear processes.
Ratios of xenon-133 and xenon-133m (a higher-energy, ‘metastable’ form of the isotope) point towards an explosion in mid-April. The ratio of more short-lived isotopes — barium-140 and its radioactive decay product lanthanum-140 — pointed to a second test around 11 May. Indeed, the presence of barium-140 can be explained only by a sudden nuclear event, he says. "In Sweden, we saw this kind of thing decades ago from Russian underground tests." Ratios of other xenon isotopes also point to a fast nuclear reaction that involved uranium. Until now, North Korea's programme was thought to be based on plutonium, although rumours of a covert uranium programme have persisted for years.
De Geer speculates that North Korea is trying to build a more powerful bomb. Advanced nuclear weapons often have a small quantity of the heavier isotopes of hydrogen, known as deuterium and tritium. When a warhead detonates, it squeezes the deuterium and tritium until they fuse together. The fusion reactions release neutrons that in turn boost the fission process, increasing its yield. De Geer says that low-yield tests of the sort he suspects took place can be a first step in building a tritium-boosted weapon.
(Excerpt) Read more at nature.com ...
P!
The real question - “Are they building it for ‘domestic’ use or for the export market?”
First for their own use, and then for export. At the least, it is a good leverage against those concerned. Free food and money in exchange for holding off the export for a while. Black mail is a major part of NK’s economic policy.
But how about a joint humanitarian exersize (using large guns) with China to turn NK into an enterprise zone?
Everybody wins except for the ChiaHead's son and the commie leadership.
/johnny
It just isn’t going to happen. China seems to like to watch the North Koreans tweak the West.
It just doesn’t make sense to me why China would permit this little sociopathic nation on its boarder have nuclear weapons.
That’s the easy part.
China uses N-Korea as a proxy to do the dirty work.
No different then the neighborhood bully having some other punk beet up your kid at the bus stop. Your kid gets beet up and china sits on ass and gets to say “we didn’t do it”. While is fact they ordered it.
N-Korea doesn’t fart without china granting permission and anymore paying the bill with U.S. $$$$$$$$$$.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.