Only available in English This page is not available in the requested language.

Facts about nuclear weapons

1. Nuclear and Conventional Weapons
   • What are conventional weapons?
   • How do nuclear weapons differ from conventional weapons?
   • What are the different types of nuclear weapons?
   • What is PAL (Permissive Action Links)?
   • What is one-point safe?
   • What is the difference between a nuclear weapon and a nuclear reactor?
2. Effects of Nuclear Weapons
   • Effects of Nuclear Weapons Detonations
   • What are blast effects?
   • What are thermal effects?
   • What are radiation effects?
   • What are electromagnetic effects (Electromagnetic Pulse or EMP)?
   • What are the effects on climate?
3. Nuclear Weaponization
   • What is nuclear weaponization?
   • What is a delivery system?
   • What is C3I?
4. Nuclear Weapons in the U.S. and Russia
   • High-Alert Nuclear Weapons and Launch-on-Warning Capability
   • Accidental Nuclear War Caused by Terrorism
   • Is it possible to have a reliable defense against a nuclear attack?
   • Can the population be protected in a nuclear attack?
5. Fissile Material
   • What are fissile materials?
   • What is highly enriched uranium?
   • What is weapons grade plutonium?
   • Can weapons be made from reactor grade plutonium?
6. Nuclear tests
   • Why are nuclear tests necessary?
   • What are the different types of tests?
   • How can underground nuclear tests be monitored?
7. Deterrence, doctrine and strategy
   • What is deterrence?
   • What is a nuclear doctrine?
   • What is a nuclear first-strike?
   • What is a second strike capability?
8. Physics
   • What are chemical and nuclear reactions?
   • What are fission and fusion reactions?
   • What is a chain reaction?
   • What is criticality?

The contents of this section have been copied and adapted (as well as supplemented) from the ISANW publication, "Facts About Nuclear Weapons". See: http://www.isanw.org/ http://www.isanw.org/facts/toc.html