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