When Nuclear Scientists Thought the Atom Bomb Would Ignite the Atmosphere

[Zipper730]

From what I remember, they knew that, under certain circumstances, nitrogen could undergo fusion as could hydrogen and, for this reason, they had expressed a concern that it could trigger a runaway fusion that would turn the whole atmosphere into a world wide nuclear fusion blast.

If I recall, they computed that the odds of nitrogen undergoing fusion would be extremely low, correct?

 

[Mark Biegert]

Yes, the odds were computed to be very low. My favorite reference on the subject is "Critical Assembly: A Technical History of Los Alamos During the Oppenheimer Years, 1943-1945" by Hoddeson et al (ISBN 0521541174 ). Here is an excerpt from that book on the subject:

They agreed that the Berkeley theorists should be authorized to continue their calculations of possible ignition of the atmosphere; if they failed to provide conclusive evidence that an atomic explosion could be contained, the bomb project would have to stop. Few of the participants seriously believed that an uncontrolled nuclear reaction in the atmosphere was possible, and their calculations soon showed that the chances of igniting the atmosphere were very remote given that equilibrium with the radiation limited the temperature inside the bomb. The large electrical repulsion between the nitrogen nuclei made their chance of reacting very small. Bethe later referred to the problem as a "red herring."

I should mention that this book is probably a bit detailed for most, but my life is a celebration of detail.

 

[Zipper730]

While this is a rather long-time to revive a thread, and I understand that it was deemed remote that nitrogen would undergo fusion. As stupid as this might sound, hydrogen is fused in H-bombs, which sounds instinctively like a nuclear bomb detonated underwater would make this easier to happen.

While I know water includes oxygen (and in the ocean, there's also sodium and chlorine in the salt), I'm guessing the reason the water doesn't undergo fusion because regular hydrogen is harder to fuse than deuterium/tritium which is seen in H-bombs?

 

[N4521U]

At 80, and the way things have degenerated, it should have! Just answering the Title!