MadSci Network: Physics
Query:

Subject: Is it possible for someone to build a nuclear weapon in their garage?

Date: Tue Apr 6 13:40:39 1999
Posted by Duncan
Grade level: undergrad School: No school entered.
City: westwood State/Province: ma Country: usa
Area of science: Physics
ID: 923424039.Ph
Message:

Mine uranium? In MA we have radon gas due to uranium in the 
bedrock. What stops someone from chemically separating the 
uranium, then separating out the u-235? The first bomb was built 
with a mass spectrometer. Assuming someone could get the 
chemicals to separate a few hundred pounds of uranium, is it 
really impossible to rig up a simple electron beam in a vacuum 
to ionize the uranium, some charged plates to accelerate the 
ions, magnetic field to focus the beam and magnetic deflection 
coils to perform the separation.(Sounds scary in its ease 
because I've pretty much described a television set, well within 
the capability of a physicist with a meager lab to build.) 
Should we worry?


Re: Is it possible for someone to build a nuclear weapon in their garage?

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