/u/restricteddata explains the myth and reality of nitrogen fusion concerns during early nuclear tests

https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/25mc9e/comment/chikrhu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

created by VacationConfident484 on 19/07/2024 at 17:17 UTC

92 upvotes, 1 top-level comments (showing 1)

Comments

Comment by symmetry81 at 20/07/2024 at 16:32 UTC

8 upvotes, 1 direct replies

The real danger from the test, looking forward, wasn't nitrogen-nitrogen fusion but from model uncertainty. The chance that some reaction they didn't think to model would cause or contribute to a chain reaction, as with Lithium-7 in the Castle Bravo test that almost killed the monitoring team.