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Glossary Atomic Weapons / Term

Implosion Weapon

A device in which a quantity of fissionable material, less than a critical mass, has its volume suddenly decreased by compression, so that it becomes supercritical and an explosion can take place. The compression is achieved by means of a spherical arrangement of specially fabricated shapes of ordinary high explosive which produce an inwardly-directed implosion wave, the fissionable material being at the center of the sphere.

See Critical Mass, Supercritical.

Permanent link Implosion Weapon - Creation date 2020-04-26


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