[ RadSafe ] Neutron Bomb used on Fallujah

[alstonchris at netscape.net]

Mike


Thanks for your usual calm, well informed, and carefully considered discussion of the matter.  I might only add that the article is really baffling in that it refers to the U in question as being simultaneously "weapons-grade" and "slightly enriched".  These are mutually exclusive characterizations.



Cheers
cja

 > It is sad that people who promote this kind of thing don't bother to> google what they are talking about.  A "neutron bomb" isn't some magic> people-killing-building-leaving device; it is a low yield nuclear> weapon, optimized for neutron production.  If one had been set off in> Fallujah, everyone who was interested would have known about it, and the> evidence would be incontrovertible.>> The first clues would have been pretty distinctive: the mushroom cloud,> really, REALLY loud explosion and flash (even compared to the other> explosions and flashes) and an electro-magnetic pulse that would have> fried most electronics for miles around.  Given that almost every> American in the area was carrying some personal electronics such as cell> phones, computers, GPS units, etc., if there had been an EMP, it would> have been noticed.  Someone would have talked.  In addition to the US, I> would guess there are at least four countries with satellites that could> detect and identify the EMP from a nuke, and probably as many> corporations (and it may be as high as 10 countries).  There would also> be a fairly distinctive blast damage pattern at ground zero.>> Second, given the fairly short range of a neutron dose high enough to be> fatal in the short term (and if you are in the middle of a battle you> don't use thing with latency periods in years or decades, as you want to> kill your targets now, to make them stop shooting at you), the weapon> would have to be detonated fairly close to the ground.  This means LOTS> of fallout.  Easily detectable levels of short lived isotopes would have> been seen probably a couple thousand miles downwind.  No matter which> way the wind was blowing, there are countries that would be willing to> blow the whistle on the event.>> Third, one of the things about neutron bombs is high neutron flux in the> target area (that is the whole point, after all).  High neutron flux> means lots of activation of material in that area, with characteristic> isotopes.  A lot of them are short lived, but there would be enough to> increase the gamma background, and detectable with a hand held gamma> spec device for quite some time after.>> No, the best explanation for finding U235 in samples is that it is> naturally occurring.>