Chapter 1026: Chapter 1024: Early Success and Subsequent Manufacturing
Eden, Main Laboratory.
Richard walked in and sat at the circular laboratory table, glancing at the simple calendar on the table.
The so-called simple calendar is actually a scroll divided into twelve large boxes from top to bottom, representing the twelve months of the year. Each month’s large box contains approximately thirty smaller boxes, with numbers like one, two, three, four, five, etc., indicating specific days of the month.
At this mont, more than half of the small boxes on the scroll have been circled with a Quill, indicating that the dates have passed.
Normally, he casually draws them during his breaks, occasionally Pandora enthusiastically adds a few strokes, and Witch Demon Elder tried once, but found it uninteresting and gave up.
The scroll displays distinct differences in the circles: most circles are fairly standard—drawn by him; a few circles are extrely standard, as if drawn with a compass—done by Pandora, who exhibited remarkable Talent in graphic drawing after deeply studying mathematics, achieving almost tool-level precision in handmade drawings. Additionally, there is one solitary flat circle—crafted by Witch Demon Elder.
At this ti, he noticed the latest circle has been drawn at the end of the eighth large box. But this circle, unlike any previous ones, isn’t even a circle—it’s square.
Square?
Richard looked at it, raised an eyebrow involuntarily, thoughts flashed: this square pattern is definitely not drawn by him, nor could it be Pandora’s, since it’s not at all standard. Thus, only Witch Demon Elder Ah Fu is likely the artist—seems like he’s had so spare ti recently.
So spare ti.
The thought quickly passed, Richard confird it was Witch Demon Elder, and didn’t think much, only noting the date in his mind.
September 1st.
“Today is September 1st, the first day of Cool Month, the start of autumn.” Confirming the date, Richard murmured in his heart, feeling sowhat emotional.
If I’m not mistaken, the comncent of the nuclear weapon research and manufacturing plan was also in autumn—last autumn.
To be accurate, it was in October—Frost Month—last year.
At that ti, Joseph from Truth Society’s Delan Branch t with him and handed over the Crystal Ball used for communication by Truth Society. During the eting, he sensed the Erosive Energy on Joseph, later confird as residual nuclear radiation, and step by step found the source of nuclear radiation—the Uranium Mine outside Shambhala Town.
Then he purchased the mine, built equipnt, extensively mined, refined, purified, and walked step by step to where he is now.
This long process nearly took eleven months, almost a year.
And this almost one-year expenditure has proven entirely worthwhile, as he has obtained a sufficient quantity of weapon-grade Nuclear Material—Uranium 235, achieving the most critical step in the nuclear weapon research and manufacturing plan.
Without exaggeration, acquiring the material is extrely important and challenging in nuclear weapon manufacturing. Once this step is completed, the remaining manufacturing process becos very easy.
His plan, up until now, can actually be declared successful because with ample nuclear material, piling them together would result in a Nuclear Explosion—essentially the principle of the first-generation nuclear weapon.
The principle of the first-generation nuclear weapon is extrely simple, needing only to understand three terms: Continuous Nuclear Chain Reaction, Critical Mass, and Mass-Energy Equation.
Generally speaking, in the real world, heavy elents like Uranium and Plutonium undergo spontaneous fission due to radioactive decay and can be induced to undergo nuclear reactions by external neutrons, known as “fissile material.”
These “fissile materials” release part of their structure—free neutrons—in the spontaneous fission process. Free neutrons have a Half-life of about 15 minutes, aning after 15 minutes, half will decay into protons and β particles.
However, in so special circumstances, free neutrons can collide with other atoms before their Half-life ends, triggering nuclear fission in the remaining atoms, releasing more free neutrons. If these additional free neutrons collide with atoms again, further nuclear fission will occur.
In a confined space with sufficient nuclear material, once nuclear fission begins, it continues forming a Continuous Nuclear Chain Reaction.
The quantity of nuclear material required to sustain continuous nuclear fission is known as Critical Mass.
Critical Mass is crucial. Once nuclear material reaches Critical Mass, if even one atom undergoes nuclear fission releasing a neutron, or a Neutron Source from the outside provides a neutron, a Nuclear Explosion will occur.
In a Nuclear Explosion, nurous atoms split, with mass damage. The lost mass converts into astonishing Energy released. According to the Mass-Energy Equation E=mc2, even losing just one kilogram of substance can release 8,987,517,873,681,764 (over 800 trillion) Joules of Energy, equivalent to the explosion of 20 million tons of TNT.
In a nutshell, the principle of first-generation nuclear weapons or Atomic Bomb is to allow nuclear material to reach Critical state, induce Continuous Nuclear Chain Reaction, and, based on the Mass-Energy Equation, convert lost mass into terrifying Energy released, producing destructive effects.
Hence, he says the nuclear weapon research and manufacturing plan can already be proclaid successful. If he wishes, he can anyti use the thod of stacking nuclear material to create a Nuclear Explosion.
However, he is unwilling to do so.
The principle of the first-generation nuclear weapon is simple, yet actual production is a tad challenging.
The key problem lies in not casually piling nuclear material to induce nuclear explosion. Such a thod extrely reduces nuclear material usage efficiency, possibly resulting in only less than 1% or even 0.1% of all nuclear material’s atoms successfully fusing and releasing destructive Energy, while the rest are blasted away, becoming radioactive dust scattered into the air.
Simply put, using the most direct and rough thod to induce Nuclear Explosion is certainly convenient, but it would waste Nuclear Material significantly.
Waste is shaful; waste pains him.
He spent about a year to acquire sufficient Nuclear Material, intending to make the most of it, striving to extract all value from this Nuclear Material, definitely not satisfied with just hearing a single sound.
Thus, to achieve this goal, he must do a few more things next. Specifically, it’s to achieve Critical Mass through special nuclear devices with his Nuclear Material in hand, producing Nuclear Explosion and releasing Energy with higher efficiency.
To accomplish this, one needs to use so uncommon knowledge.
After all, not everyone knows how to truly manufacture an Atomic Bomb, and even if they know, they won’t bring it up frequently.
“I need to visit that place again.” Richard thought, softly talking to himself.
…
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