Preface
In today's world, nuclear weapons are undoubtedly one of the most powerful weapons of mankind, among which the hydrogen bomb is the most destructive and lethal.
In recent years, however, a shocking rumor has spread rapidly on the Internet, claiming that the world's only 30 remaining hydrogen bombs are all in China, and that other countries such as the United States and Russia no longer possess them.
This rumor has attracted widespread attention, and one cannot help but ask: Is this true? If it is true, why did other great powers give up such powerful weapons? If it is false, what is the purpose of spreading such rumors?
The power of the hydrogen bomb: how can anyone give up if they don't see it
The hydrogen bomb got its name because the source of its enormous energy is the fusion reaction of the hydrogen nucleus.
Under extreme high temperature and pressure conditions, hydrogen nuclei can break through the electrostatic barrier that repels each other, undergo fusion, and release tremendous energy.
This fusion reaction, like the thermonuclear reaction inside the sun, produces almost infinite energy.
In contrast, atomic bombs utilize the fission reaction of heavy elements such as uranium or plutonium.
The amount of energy that can be released by heavy nuclear fission is limited by the raw material, which is about tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of tons equivalent.
However, the energy of the hydrogen bomb can reach millions of tons or even hundreds of millions of tons, and its power is far from comparable to that of the atomic bomb.
In 1961, the Soviet Union tested the hydrogen bomb "Tsar", which was equivalent to more than 3,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs, and the hydrogen bomb with a yield of 100 million tons could even change the earth's topography.
It can be seen from this that the destructiveness of the hydrogen bomb is not only reflected in the huge yield of a single bomb, but also in the fact that it can be multiplied without limit.
Tens of thousands of hydrogen bombs exploded at the same time, and the energy released could destroy this civilized world in an instant.
So, what are the ways in which the power of the hydrogen bomb is reflected?
1. The single equivalent is very large
The yield of a hydrogen bomb is much higher than that of an atomic bomb, ranging from hundreds of thousands of tons to hundreds of millions of tons. This is mainly due to the enormous amount of energy released by the hydrogen nuclear polymerization reaction.
For example, the 50-megaton "Tsar" hydrogen bomb tested by the Soviet Union in 1961 was equivalent to 3,800 Hiroshima atomic bombs.
2. High radiation intensity
Compared with the atomic bomb, the neutron stream and γ-ray radiation of the hydrogen bomb are more intense, and the lethality of living organisms is greater.
When a neutron warhead explodes in the air, it creates a large stream of neutrons and γ rays.
These neutron and γ rays can directly penetrate tanks and protective layers, causing unimaginable damage to people, buildings, and the surrounding environment.
3. The electromagnetic pulse is more violent
The electromagnetic pulse generated by the explosion of the hydrogen bomb is also much stronger than that of the atomic bomb, and the strong electromagnetic pulse can instantly burn electronic equipment and cause widespread power system to be paralyzed.
The consequences for today's highly electrified society are devastating.
4. Residual radiation is more persistent
The residual radiation of a hydrogen bomb has a longer half-life and lasts longer than an atomic bomb.
The explosion of the hydrogen bomb will produce a large amount of radioactive fallout, and the half-life of these radioactive materials will vary from a few years to tens of thousands of years, which will seriously pollute the environment, which will lead to a larger and more permanent radioactive contamination.
5. The scope of the spread is wider
The explosion of the hydrogen bomb has a far greater range than that of the atomic bomb, and the fireball radius of the 100-million-ton hydrogen bomb can reach more than 10 kilometers, and the pressure wave range covers hundreds of kilometers, which means that the wider area will be scorched in an instant.
6. The harm is more persistent
The intense neutron radiation released by the hydrogen bomb causes various radioactive isotopes, which can float for a long time and spread over long distances.
People inhale this radioactive fallout, which can lead to high rates of diseases such as leukemia and cancer, and this effect can be inherited over multiple generations.
7. Difficult to protect
The explosion of a hydrogen bomb produces a strong electromagnetic pulse that can instantly burn wireless electronic equipment, which will paralyze the command system and lead to the failure of air defense and defense systems.
The powerful destructive power and residual radiation of hydrogen bombs are also difficult to effectively resist through ordinary protective measures.
8. Difficult to intercept
The intercontinental missiles carried by the hydrogen bomb are extremely fast, have changeable trajectories, and are difficult to intercept, and once launched, the consequences are unimaginable.
The current missile defense system still has difficulty intercepting hydrogen bombs 100 percent.
9. The consequences are difficult to control
Once the hydrogen bomb explodes, its huge power is difficult to control and limit to a certain range, such as the explosion of a 100-million-ton hydrogen bomb, its pressure wave and fireball range of hundreds of kilometers, it is difficult to predict the exact impact, this kind of uncontrollable huge destructive force, is the most terrible place of the hydrogen bomb.
10. It is difficult to carry out effective retaliation
Once the hydrogen bomb is used on a large scale, the consequences will be so serious that it will be beyond the capacity of any country, and once it is devastated, it will be difficult to retain an effective second-strike capability, which runs counter to the logic of nuclear deterrence and reduces the deterrent effect of nuclear war.
Therefore, when we see such a powerful hydrogen bomb, how can countries like the United States and Russia give up the production of it? Moreover, it is even more nonsense to say that hydrogen bombs are only available on the mainland, and we do not look at which country started developing them first.
Hydrogen bomb only China has?
Don't look at who developed it first
贼喊捉贼
The theoretical study of the hydrogen bomb can be traced back to the 20s of the 20th century. In 1927, German physicists Hautmans and Atkinson proposed the theory of hydrogen nucleus fusion.
They believe that the huge amount of energy radiated by the sun comes from the hydrogen fusion reaction, and this theory laid the theoretical foundation for the development of hydrogen bombs.
In 1938, Nazi German chemist Hahn and others discovered the phenomenon of uranium nuclear fission, which unveiled the precedent of using nuclear fission to release energy.
After the end of World War II, with the development of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the research and development of nuclear weapons technology has become an important part of the political game and military competition between the two countries.
Compared with the atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb is more difficult to develop, because the light nuclear fusion reaction needs to be carried out under extreme high temperature and high pressure conditions, which far exceeds the conditions of heavy nuclear fission.
It was not until 1952 that American physicists, after hard work, finally successfully tested the first hydrogen bomb at an atoll test site in the Pacific Ocean, which marked the beginning of the hydrogen bomb era.
Later, the Soviet Union, Britain, France, China and other countries successively developed hydrogen bombs, forming a "nuclear club" of nuclear-armed countries.
The contributions made by scientists from various countries to the development of the hydrogen bomb reflect the brilliance of the development of human science and technology in an era, but at the same time, they also indicate the potential terrible danger of human weapons of destruction.
With the end of the Cold War, relations between the United States and the Soviet Union eased significantly, and the two countries signed the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, each reducing the number of nuclear warheads to less than 2,200.
Taking the United States as an example, it has a total of more than 5,000 nuclear warheads, and only 1,357 are actually deployed, and these deployed nuclear warheads mainly include B61, W88, W76, etc., all of which belong to miniaturized three-phase hydrogen bombs.
It can be seen that although the nuclear powers have reduced the number of hydrogen bombs actually deployed after the Cold War, they still have a large stockpile of hydrogen bombs.
These miniaturized three-phase hydrogen bombs are more powerful and radiate, posing a major threat to the human living environment.
So from this point of view, it is even more nonsense that the hydrogen bomb is only available on the mainland! And what is even more ridiculous is that they claim that they will not produce the hydrogen bomb because the maintenance cost is too high.
The argument that hydrogen bombs are expensive to maintain is untenable
Modern hydrogen bombs mostly use solid-state fusion materials as raw materials, and there is no longer a need for large quantities of liquid hydrogen for storage.
In the 60s of the 20th century, the first bomb developed by the United States did use liquid hydrogen, which required a supporting giant cooling system and high maintenance costs.
But the hydrogen bomb that has since been developed has used more advanced fusion materials such as lithium deuteride in the solid, which are small, lightweight, easy to preserve, and have no maintenance problems at all.
Secondly, as an important strategic asset, the hydrogen bomb has an irreplaceable position, and no country will easily give up such an important strategic weapon because of the problem of maintenance costs.
Even if there is a maintenance problem, the major powers will not hesitate to solve it with great expense, and the deterrent effect and strategic value of the hydrogen bomb far outweigh its cost.
Therefore, the high maintenance cost of hydrogen bombs is not the reason for the suspension of production in the United States and Russia, which is untenable, and the argument that "only China has 30 hydrogen bombs left in the world?" is suspected of killing or diverting attention.
"Only China has 30 hydrogen bombs left in the world?"
This statement does not correspond to the facts. As the world's two major military powers, the United States and Russia still have a large number of hydrogen bombs in their arsenals.
After the end of the Cold War, they did destroy a certain number of obsolete hydrogen bombs, but this only updated their arsenal and did not abandon this strategic weapon entirely.
Second, such rumors will become an excuse for other countries to attack the mainland.
Once this "only China has a hydrogen bomb" argument takes shape, the mainland will become synonymous with a nuclear-armed power, and other countries will portray the mainland as the sole culprit in undermining the global nuclear balance in order to contain China's influence.
Moreover, such rumors can seriously damage China's international image and credibility.
The mainland has always pursued a peaceful foreign policy, but if it is labeled as the "only remaining hydrogen bomb," it will lose credibility in the international community and the image of the mainland as a responsible major country that it has built up over the years will also be affected.
Therefore, the rumor that "only China has a hydrogen bomb" will bring serious harm to China's national interests and international status, and we must recognize the facts in a timely manner to prevent such rumors from continuing to spread.
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