Plutonium Accomplishments

By the end of 1943, significant discoveries were found and helped nuclear bomb projects in a few countries. The United States and the Soviet Union put much effort behind this idea, along with smaller programs in Nazi Germany and Britain. The second half of The First War of Physics spans from 1943 to 1949, with a short epilogue into the present day. In the earlier stages of the American project, it was already known that a purified form of uranium, with large amounts of the isotope U-235, would be needed for an atomic bomb. Plutonium could also be used, but a different bomb design would be needed. In addition to these requirements, it was not known exactly how a bomb could be made to detonate, but they knew they would need a specific design

This meant that the uranium would not have to be as enriched as was previously thought. Also, there would be less of a risk that the bomb would pre-detonate, and the bomb itself could be shorter. However, this did not change the fact that only enough U-235 would be available for one bomb by the beginning of 1945 (226-227). Meanwhile, a new reactor, X-10, went critical, and began producing plutonium. A reactor was by far the most efficient way to make plutonium, which would be useful in building a nuclear weapon. This reactor would produce plutonium for testing until larger reactors at Hanford, in Washington, were built. This early testing revealed that the “gun” method being used for a U-235 bomb would result in pre-detonation for a plutonium bomb, causing it not to explode. The only method that would work would be implosion, which exploded the plutonium inward

Three Japanese cities, Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Niigata, were on the list. However, Harry Stimson, the Secretary of War, argued successfully that Kyoto should not be targeted, as it is a historical and cultural city. Now, it would have to be decided if Japan would be warned of the impending use of a nuclear weapon. It was decided that it should be used without warning at a location that would cause significant damage in order to protect American lives (306-310). With all of Los Alamos preparing for the Trinity test and the explosive lenses fixed after a minor delay, the only question now was with how much energy the atomic bomb would explode. There was much uncertainty, which would not be answered until after the test had finished. When the bomb finally exploded, it was said that it looked like the Sun had come up in an instant, and a deafening roar followed it. It detonated with a force of 18,600 tons of TNT, at the higher end of the estimations