throopw@dg_rtp.UUCP (Wayne Throop) (05/03/86)
> gilbbs!apn >> brahms!desj >>> ccird2!rb >>>> [???] >>>>thousand pounds of plutonium. >>>There are lots of other things to worry about.... Things like possible >>>ignition of water vapor in the atmosphere.... >> Water vapor is the *product* of combustion. How could it be "ignited"?? > I believe here we are talking about the fusion meaning of ignition. > Consider water vaper("") in a highly dissociated state, and furthermore > examine only one of many possible reactions: > > 1 4 0 > 4( H) > He +2( e) + 24.7 MeV > 1 2 1 Uh... you are worried about proton-proton fusion? Last I heard, that doesn't even happen much at solar core conditions. Far be it from me to say that there wouldn't be unpleasant effects from nuclear war, possibly even involving the extinction of humanity, but I don't think a self-sustaining proton-proton fusion reaction on Earth is something to worry about. Nor even in the top million things to worry about. > It is already known that this can be thermodynamically triggered, If > this reaction is self sustaining, ( i.e. large cross-section) then > we could be in lots of trouble. It should give Sol some competition, at > least in this planetery system. I also think you seriously underestimate how puny the Earth is in relation to the Sun. "The solar system consists of the Sun, Jupiter, and assorted debris". -- Wayne Throop <the-known-world>!mcnc!rti-sel!dg_rtp!throopw
john@anasazi.UUCP (05/10/86)
>> It is already known that this can be thermodynamically triggered, If >> this reaction is self sustaining, ( i.e. large cross-section) then >> we could be in lots of trouble. It should give Sol some competition, at >> least in this planetery system. > >I also think you seriously underestimate how puny the Earth is in >relation to the Sun. "The solar system consists of the Sun, Jupiter, >and assorted debris". >-- I think the key here is thermodynamics. The "temperature" required for fusion must be maintained as the reaction continues. This requires that the energy release must be large enough to sufficiently heat the material in a continually growing sphere. They worried about this problem before the first H-bomb was set off, and it proved groundless. I believe it was later shown to be orders of magnitude away from possible. -- John Moore (NJ7E/XE1HDO) {decvax|ihnp4|hao}!noao!terak!anasazi!john {hao!noao|decvax|ihnp4|seismo}!terak!anasazi!john terak!anasazi!john@SEISMO.CSS.GOV (602) 861-7607 (day or evening) 7525 Clearwater Pkwy, Paradise Valley, AZ, 85253 (Home Address) The opinions expressed here are obviously not mine, so they must be someone else's.