![]() The USA abandoned this type of weapon because of its high tritium consumption, many times that of a boosted weapon. The neutron bomb uses large quantities of tritium to produce a huge flood of neutrons designed to kill living organisms but produce a drastically reduced blast. Neutron bombs, believed to be in the stockpiles of China and Israel, would be among the first casualties of a TCOT. Unlike the FMCT, a proposed tritium cut-off treaty (TCOT) would begin to reduce weapons stocks immediately because of tritium’s natural decay. But an FMCT would leave stockpiles frozen at high levels without increase or decrease. For many years diplomats have tried to negotiate a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) to prohibit the further production of fissile materials. This relatively short half-life distinguishes tritium from the fissile materials used in nuclear bombs, such as plutonium and highly enriched uranium (HEU). That means that half of this material disappears every 12.3 years. It is a radioactive gas and decays with a half-life of 12.3 years. While tritium is necessary for boosted nuclear weapons to function, it is not a nuclear material as defined by international statute. It is important to note that elemental tritium is not used in hydrogen bombs. It is used in the nuclear weapon systems of most of the five nuclear weapon states (NWS)-China, France, the United Kingdom, the United States and Russia-today to ‘boost’ the yield of a fission weapon or fission primary. ![]() ![]() Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen (hydrogen-3). Tritium and its critical role in nuclear weapons An alternative to this ‘all-or-nothing’ approach is needed-a freeze on the production of tritium is a different way to manage nuclear disarmament that will gradually bring an end to nuclear weapons. The problem with the TPNW approach is that no state that actually possesses nuclear weapons has signed it or is likely to. Under this treaty, it will be illegal to hold nuclear weapons, and the parties will have to dismantle any in their possession. Proponents of nuclear non-proliferation will be pleased in late 2020 as the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) crosses the threshold of 50 ratifications and enters into force.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |