Neutron bomb
A
neutron bomb, or
enhanced radiation weapon (ERW), is a type of
nuclear weapon designed specifically to release a large portion of its
energy as energetic
neutron radiation rather than
explosive energy. Although their extreme blast and heat effects are not eliminated, it is the enormous radiation released by ERWs that is meant to be a major source of casualties. Such radiation is able to penetrate buildings and
armored vehicles to kill personnel that would otherwise be protected from the explosion.
Detailed description
An ERW is a
fission-fusion thermonuclear weapon (hydrogen bomb) in which the burst of
neutrons generated by a
fusion reaction is intentionally allowed to escape the weapon, rather than being absorbed by its other components. The weapon's
X-ray mirrors and radiation case, made of
uranium or
lead in a standard bomb, are instead made of
chromium or
nickel so that the neutrons can escape.d
The term
enhanced radiation refers only to the burst of
neutron radiation released at the moment of
detonation, not to any enhancement of residual radiation in fallout as in the theoretical case of a
cobalt bomb.
The "usual"
nuclear weapon yield—expressed as kT
TNT equivalent—is not a measure of a neutron weapon's destructive power. It refers only to the energy released (mostly heat and blast), and does not express the lethal effect of neutron radiation on living organisms. Compared to a fission bomb with the identical explosive yield, a neutron bomb would emit about ten times
[1] the amount of neutron radiation. In a fission bomb, radiation pulse energy is approximately 5% of entire energy released; in the neutron bomb it would be closer to 50%.