Re: Article from 3/2 Christian Science Monitor: "Pardon me,

[Franz Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 17:37 02.03.2000 -0600, you wrote:
>At 01:29 PM 3/2/00 -0600, you wrote:
>>I am quite sure, that a nuclear weapon would not be detected by a simple
>>radiation detection device - how should Pu-239 be detected? 
>
>- fr*m the Am-241.
>
>Mike McNaughton

Mike, I am not an expert in nuclear weapons, but Am-241 is to my knowledge
not welcome in nuclear weapons, because it decreases dramatically the yield
or might even inhibit the explosion. Anyway it takes quite a time to build
up from fissionable material. Even more we had the problem at Mururoa to
measure it, because of the low energy gammas, which require special
instrumentation (thin sodium iodide crystals) and which as I guess cannot
be detected with simple measurement devices like Geiger-Mueller counters. 

Any comments, showing that I am wrong, are welcome. I am always eager to
learn.

Franz


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