HE principle on which the
hydrogen bomb is _ planned
to operate is roughly this.

_ Fast-moving particles (or nuc-
lei) of hydrogen produce atomic
energy when they collide with
gertain other kinds of atoms.
Processes such as these have
been studied extensively in the
» laboratory.

To: produce atomic energy at
all efficiently the hydrogen nuc-
lei must have speeds of at: least
500 miles a second. In hydrogen
fas at ordinary temperatures
the molecules (or particles) of
hydrogen are in ceaseless mo-
tion but their average speeds
“are only about a quarter of a
“mile per second.

If the gas is heated the mole-
cules will move faster. But to
get them moving with an aver-
age speed of 500 miles a sec-
ond the gas would have to be
heated up to a temperature of
about 100 million degrees.

‘Ig--the hydrogen could be

-. Maintained at this temperature

for a short. time—about one-
. thousandth of a second or so—
the fast-moving particles would
collide with each other, and
large amounts of atomic energy
would be produced, the hydro-
en being simultaneously chang-
ed into helium gas.

It would be very difficult to
produce a reaction like this with
ordinary hydrogen. But _ there
are two other kinds of hydro-
gen, called deuterium and _ tri-
tium, respectively, which could

-be used more effectively.

The most likely charge for a
hydrogen bomb would consist of
a mixture of deuterium and tri-
tium, These materials would
probably be used in the form of
& chemical compound with lith-
ium.

Temperatures in the vicinity
of 100 million degrees are pro-
duced for a very short time dur-
ing the explosion of an atomic
bomb. If then the tritium-deuter-
ium mixture could be associated
intimately with plutonium of an
atomic bomb the amount of en-
érgy produced by the bomb
would be increased by the col-
lisions. between the “deuterons”
and “tritons” when the temper-
ature was high. %

It seems quite feasible to im-
agine an increase of the avail-
_ able energy by a factor of two
or three or perhaps a little more
by this process, It is difficult
to believe a much greater in-
crease could be produced.

_. The reason. is the extremely
., pid. rate at which the bomb

What might happen
How the H-bomb works

By Dr. E. H. S. BURHOP

would cool by radiation at these
high temperatures.
A simple calculation shows

that in such a bomb the high
temperature would persist only
for a fraction of a millionth of
a second, The amount of energy
produced during this time by

collision between the deuterons
and tritons. can be estimated
from recent measurements pub-

‘ lished by Dr. Bretscher of Har-

well and Dr. French of Cam-
bridge.
It turns out that only a small

fraction of the tritons and deu-

terons would be changed into
helium during the time the
bomb was hot.

S

The talk about potentialities
of the hydrogen bomb being a
hundred times greater than the
existing atomic bomb has en-
visaged a self-maintained reac-
tion in which hydrogen is con
verted into helium.

Using again the figures given
by Bretscher and French for

the reaction between deuterons

and tritons one can make a
very rough estimate of the min-
imum size needed for a bomb

‘of the deuterium-tritium type

that will maintain itself at the
high temperature.

The minimum diameter of
such a bomb turns out to be
many hundreds of yards. And it
is difficult to see how such a
mass of material could be heat-
ed up in the first instance un-
less a large number of ordinary

atomic bombs were exploded
simultaneously.
Of course, one cannot assert

that it would be impossible to
produce such a large bomb.

If it were made to work it
would indeed be a super-bomb.
There would be a certain amount
of risk that such an explosion
would get out of hand and in-
itiate a reaction in the earth’s
crust which might mean the
end of our world.

To sum up, then, it seems
quite possible to increase the
power of an ordinary atomic
bomb a few times by the ad-
dition of a mixture of deuterium
and tritium. But the so-called
“super bomb,” in which a self-
maintained reaction between
deuterium and tritium could be
produced, seems to be a long
way off, and it is very doubt-
_ful whether it will ever be real-
ized,

It should be pointed out that
the conclusions reached in this
article are based on published
information about nuclear reac-
tion between deuterium and tri-
tium. It may be that other pro-
cesses involving tritium, the de-
tails of which have not been
published, are important, but
there is little evidence that this
is the case,

weeks left
to canvass
for names to

Time of decision

Haw you felt it—the deep rolling of the tide against the

Hell-bomb, for ‘it is a tide as strong as

comprise it?

“We give you no
tlement. We sive you
of terror and arms,
tary advisers.
with hell are you in

Count the protests:

cils; leading U.S. atomic scientists;

the millions that

FY eel ,
negotiations—no hope of peaceful set-
the Hell Bomb—our peace by the force
said in effect Mr. Truman and his mili-
“You have made a covenant with death and
agreement,” was the people’s answer.

members of Truman’s advisory coun-

the World Council of

Churches and the Archbishop of York; important members of
every government of Europe; the leaders of India and China.

They are being stopped!
back to yes-no tall.
The National Peace

portunity

The H-bombardiers have fallen

Congress, May 5, 6 and 7 is our op-
to roll them up with the tide!
Editorial in No More War, Peace Congress bulletin.

‘

: | Ban the Bomb

What we must do
Ban the H-bomb now

By JOHN GOLLAND

W HAT are we going to do
about it? This is the
question all parents concerned
for their children’s future are—
or should be—discussing today.

Whether the hydrogen bomb
ultimately made is one which will
create death and destruction three
times or a hundred greater than
the ghastly toll of Hiroshima is
not the issue for us. We are not
interested.

All we want is that the atom
bomb be banned now.

It is up to you, to me — to
everyone of us to make sure that
the bomb is banned. Above all it
is up to the labor movement and
all lovers of peace. We the com-
mon. people ,not Truman, can and
must decide.

Why did Truman select the time
he did to announce, with the full
blare of publicity, the decision to
make the H-bomb? There was
some hypocritical talk about the
heavy moral issues involved. It
was all a blind.

Step by step the U.S. govern-
ment has been preparing war
against the Soviet Union. It was
for this war that the Atlantic pact,
first suggested by Churchill, was
created. It was for this war that
the new arms pact was recently
concluded.

The cold, calculated decision to
manufacture this horror weapon

-is the logical decision of men bent

on war.

The U.S. used its boasted mono-
poly of the atom to try to intimi-
date the USSR and the New Dem-
ocracies.

The socialist countries were not
intimidated. But the horrors of
atomic war were used by the U.S.
and Britain to create ‘an atmos-
phere in which they could rush
through the Atlantic war pact.

There never,was a U.S. mono-
poly in the atom bomb. And that
false claim was finally blown to
smithereens when in September,
last year, the news that the USSR
had used atomic power to change
the course of rivers and bring
new lands into fertile production
demonstrated the tremendous
peaceful purposes to which atomic
energy could be applied.

Talk of the “effectiveness” of

the bomb waned. Now comes the
new horror weapon, with further
threats and intimidation, The
threats will fail again.

But what a menace to the very
existence of the common people.
What an increase in sickening
anxiety and apprehension. Here
is the atmosphere in which the
warmongers feel they can easily
justify their armaments expendi-
ture. It is vital for the people
to be clear on all that is involved.

A super weapon they say. But
this bomb has no military signi-
fieance. On this all the generals
agree.

It cannot be put to any peaceful
purposes. It is a weapon of stark
terror, against civilians, to raze
cities to the ground.

New effort must be made for
a settlement. This is what every
decent man and woman wants.

But the capitalist says it is up
to Stalin. A new approach, it is
claimed, would serve mo useful
purpose as the Russians are
against atomic control.

This is false. Time and again
Stalin has proposed conversations
and he has been rejected by Bri- *
tain and the United States.

Stalin has proposed that the
bomb be banned and all stocks de-
stroyed,

He has suggested an interna-
tional contro] commission to en-
sure that the atom be used for
peaceful purposes only.

Britain and the U.S. turned him
down. Wad these proposals been
accepted as a basis for negotia-
tion, this new horror would not
overhang us al] today.

It’s up to us, let us unite in
a mighty movement to end the
bomb and ithe war policy which
has led to the bomb.

End the Atlantic pact. Send
the Yankee troops home. Con-
clude a peace pact between the
great powers. Compel the govern-
ment to support proposals to out-
law and destroy the bomb and
all weapons of mass destruction.

This is what we fight for. The
power of the people is greater
than the power of the bomb. It
can and must prevail.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — MARCH 31, 1950 — PAGE 5