Nuclear weapons function based on the principles of nuclear fission or a combination of fission and fusion reactions. In a fission-based nuclear weapon, such as an atomic bomb, a critical mass of fissile material, usually enriched uranium or plutonium, is rapidly brought together through conventional explosives to create a supercritical mass. This triggers a chain reaction, in which the atomic nuclei split into smaller fragments, releasing an enormous amount of energy in the form of an explosion. In a thermonuclear weapon, or hydrogen bomb, a fission explosion is used to generate the high temperatures and pressures necessary to initiate a fusion reaction, where isotopes of hydrogen combine to form helium, releasing even more tremendous energy. The destructive power of nuclear weapons lies in their ability to release an immense amount of energy in an extremely short period, causing devastating blast waves, intense heat, and long-lasting radioactive fallout, making them one of the most destructive devices ever created by humanity.
[Show title reference: “A Real Country Song” by Dale Watson]
Playlist
-
After The Wave by Halo Maud on Catch The Wave (Heavenly Recordings) - Break
-
Artemis by Diamanda Galás on At Saint Thomas the Apostle Harlem (Intravenal Sound Operations) -
My Final Moments by Kabuki Starshine on Blacklips Bar: Androgyns and Deviants - Industrial Romance for Bruised and Battered Angels, 1992–1995 (Anthology Recordings) -
Her Eyelids Say by Felicia Atkinson, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma on Limpid As The Solitudes (Shelter Press) - Break
-
Incidence by Leila Bordreuil on Headflush (Catch Wave Ltd) -
Pinnevik by Lucy Railton on Paradise 94 (Modern Love) - Break
-
Simian Angel by Oren Ambarchi on Simian Angel (Editions Mego)