Ever since their not-so-humble beginnings in the late 1930’s to early 1940’s, nuclear weapons have since become increasingly complex and diverse. This is also not to mention numerous. Regarding diversity, many new nuclear weapon designs have (or have yet to) come into play since the original fission bomb. Included with these new designs comes new issues, each both common in some areas and very different in others. In this paper the technology of the types of nuclear weapons and the issues associated with them will be examined.

The first kind of nuclear weapon developed was the fission bomb. Fission is where the nucleus of a heavy element splits into two nuclei of lighter elements, with the release of substantial amounts of energy. Enrico Fermi discovered this sort of reaction in 1934. The most famous examples of fission bombs are Little Boy and Fat Man, which were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in a successful attempt to end WWII.

The problem with fission bombs (and all other nuclear weapons) is the intense amount of radiation produced. The aftereffects of the bombings on Japan included the deaths of over 40,000 people from radiation alone. This is not to mention the 80,000 that died in the initial blast.

Another effect was that a huge amount of radiation was spread over a large area. This included large amounts of cesium-137 and free neutrons. Some of this matter soaked into the soil or surrounding structures; much of it went into the atmosphere. Thus it spread, resulting in a tiny worldwide dose of radiation.

Aside from the physical effects, the bombings had very large political implications. Other countries would soon acquire this technology, which was a large factor in the contentious Cold War. There are other issues in dealing with fission bombs, including their relative ease to make in the case of terrorist organizations, their horrible effects even during test blasts, proliferation, accidents, and sociological effects.

The increasing ease of acquiring the uranium or plutonium for a weapon has been partly attributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, where uneven watch has been kept on its arsenal. Many tons of radioactive materials have been gone unaccounted for. Even testing for highly developed nuclear powers is a threat to the world; the atmospheric effects are too out of control. This is why treaties have been made to limit testing to less harmful underground testing.

To help retard proliferation, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty was signed by the US, Russia, China, France, and the UK to include non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use of nuclear energy.

In all, fission bombs were troubled from the start. Their technology was bound to spread, but it just happened to be Julius and Ethel Rosenberg to reveal atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. This set up a multitude of issues, many which are common to all nuclear weapons; some that are unique to fission bombs.

Another nuclear weapon idea put forth at the near beginning of the Cold War period was the Cobalt-60 bomb. The bomb would be a fusion nuclear weapon salted with cobalt-60, thereby spreading the gamma-ray emitter as it exploded. The cobalt bomb would essentially have the potential to wipe out all life on earth by way of its long radioactive half-life. Though never developed in any country, it is more prevalent in popular culture, such as in Dr. Strangelove. In the movie the cobalt-60 bomb is the doomsday device that the Soviet Union claims they have.

However, the availability and prevalence of Cobalt-60 around the world makes it a likely ingredient in a dirty bomb. This has lead to increased fear of this weapon in modern times rather than in the Cold War era, since the terrorist organizations weren’t as developed as they are now.

The fusion bomb comes from the idea of Hans Bethe where fusion of atoms (like in the sun) is much more efficient and creates more energy than fission. In a fusion bomb, four hydrogen atoms come together to create a helium atom and lots of energy when a huge force pushing the atoms together overcomes the atomic repulsive forces. This force that is needed is supplied by an accompanying fission bomb.

On July 25, 1946, the first successful fusion bomb was detonated at Bikini Atoll and vaporized the whole island. Thus the fusion bomb became a player in the nuclear game. Since the materials for a fusion (or hydrogen) bomb are generally easy to acquire for a well-developed nuclear power, a few countries possess the thermonuclear weapon in addition to the US. Herein lies the issue.

Since the powers that possess fusion bombs tend to have lots of them (Russia, USA, China, etc.), one strike by a country could possibly end life on earth, depending on the reaction by the attacked and its allies. This is the basis of the Mutually Assured Destruction theory.

A country must be prepared to be annihilated if they wish to strike. This is where the issue gets the most confusing, because a country might strike if they expect that the opposing country will not strike them back. This was what the Cold War was a lot about. The Soviet Union and the US had only their policies of massive retaliation and brinkmanship to keep each other at bay. There is also dispute on how to limit the spread and production of tritium, one of a thermonuclear weapon’s key materials.

In addition to the politics of fusion weapons, the physical and environmental effects are also great. Since the blast can be up to many times larger than a fission explosion, the radiation and harmful effects can spread an exponential amount more. If tens of thousands were affected for life by radiation in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, that number would be many times larger in a fusion explosion.

Also, if the world was tainted by a small dose of radiation from the two nuclear weapons in Japan, the world would suffer devastating amounts of radiation if a World War III was a huge thermonuclear one. This radiation would make it hard for life on earth to function, so a war like that would potentially wipe out all life.

As before, it is scary to think that this thought is one of the few things keeping others from attacking each other. In all, thermonuclear weapons possess the same issues as fission weapons, just to a larger degree.

Another type of nuclear bomb is the neutron bomb, which uses a thermonuclear explosion to widely distribute intense neutron radiation. This technology was developed by Samuel Cohen in the early 1960’s, and a program began to make neutron weapons as such.

President Carter canceled the program, but it was restarted again by Ronald Reagan in 1981. It is thought that the neutron bomb only affects living tissue when detonated, but this is false since a nuclear explosion is needed.

Although the neutron bomb had no take in the Cold War, it has sparked controversy recently in the Iraq War. The bomb was allegedly used in the Baghdad International Airport, where soldiers were found to be badly burned but the buildings were not. This is incorrect because (as stated above) the bomb would need a nuclear explosion to function. Other issues with the neutron bomb include whether or not it should be used against humans.

It is a great anti-ballistic missile because it can effectively disable a missile’s electronics with a neutron flux. When used against humans, it gives them bad radiation burns and is considered a rather horrible way to die. In all, the quirky but devastating neutron bomb hasn’t truly made an appearance in warfare. Perhaps because at the bottom line the neutron bomb is a nuclear weapon and the US and other countries have to be very careful about using them.

In sum, there are many types of nuclear weapons and each has their own issues tied to them. Examined were the fission bomb, the fusion bomb, the cobalt bomb, and the neutron bomb. There are undoubtedly more types, but these are the main and most interesting ones.

Some hold issues that are common to others; some hold issues unique to it. Nuclear weapons are a very touchy subject, and must be treated in the most utmost care in order to prevent a second Cold War or even worse, a World War III.