Archaeological discoveries

What are Plutonium atomic bombs?

Plutonium atomic bombs are a type of nuclear weapon that use plutonium-239 as their fissile material. Plutonium-239 is a radioactive isotope of plutonium that is produced by the irradiation of uranium-238 with neutrons. When plutonium-239 is bombarded with neutrons, it undergoes fission, releasing a great amount of energy. This energy is what causes the explosion of a plutonium atomic bomb.

Plutonium atomic bombs are more powerful than uranium atomic bombs, but they are also more difficult to make. This is because plutonium-239 is a very radioactive material, and it is difficult to handle safely. Additionally, plutonium-239 is much more scarce than uranium-235, which is the fissile material used in uranium atomic bombs.

Despite the challenges involved in making plutonium atomic bombs, they have been used in a number of nuclear weapons tests and in a few actual nuclear attacks. The bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in Japan during World War II were both carried out using plutonium atomic bombs.

Today, plutonium atomic bombs are still considered to be a major threat to global security. There are concerns that nuclear-armed countries could use these weapons in a conflict, or that terrorist groups could acquire and use them.