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In fact to create weapons-grade Pu, you need to remove as much Pu-238 as you can, because if Pu-238 is contaminating your Pu, its high fission rate means the bomb explodes too early in the implosion process.


Pu 238 doesn’t undergo spontaneous fission. It’s an alpha emitter.


Quite so, I was actually thinking of Pu-240. One heavier rather than one lighter!

(like Pu-238, Pu-240 is an alpha emitter. But unlike Pu-238, Pu-240 also undergoes spontaneous fission).


How do you emit alpha particles without a nuclear process?


It’s a nuclear reaction. It just isn’t fission.


Right. Pu238 alpha decay is aneutronic so it doesn't contribute to a chain reaction. However heating from too much Pu238 (or more importantly, Pu240) would be a heat removal/thermal challenge.




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