Chapter 1321 High Energy Experiment (Part 2)

Fifteen kilometers away.

The high platform built with steel frames stands in the vast white snowfield, and it looks a bit like a creation of this era - the regular and dense exposed structure, the beams and steel cables hung with ice picks, and the layers of barbed wire surrounding it all reveal... Bring out the industrial beauty.

Hundreds of people were busy around it, making preparations for detonation.

Since the entire principle device weighs close to ten tons and Hummingbird went to the front line again, it cannot be assembled in Neverwinter. The parts can only be distributed and dragged to the test explosion site and assembled on site.

Fortunately, its structure itself is very simple, and the need for disassembly and transportation was taken into consideration during the design, so the requirements for workers are not high.

This is also the difference between "Glory of the Sun" and other weapons - even if the venue and equipment have been arranged, it still takes a day or two to complete the final preparations.

At this moment, Roland and Anna were standing on the top of the tower, directing the assembly of the device.

"Next is core component No. 3. Pay attention to the direction of the interface and be careful of bumps!"

"Everyone listen to my command! Three, two, one!"

Following the worker captain's call, a silver-white cylinder was slowly pushed into the device.

It wasn't until this step was completed that Roland slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

What is contained in the cylinder is the main energy source of this test explosion-two separate uranium-235 cylinders, each of which has a mass of 20 kilograms. When the two are combined, they will provide a total charge mass of forty kilograms. This value is lower than the critical limit of fifty-three kilograms. In theory, no violent fission reaction will occur, but as he said before, the critical value is not a fixed value.

Conditions such as shape, temperature, pressure, etc. may cause this value to change, which is why "nuclear weapons" that rely purely on stacking materials have almost no actual combat value. For example, fifty-two kilograms of uranium-235 in a spherical state may seem to remain stable, but it is actually a volcano that is ready to erupt. Even a little impact or vibration can push it over the edge.

Similarly, although using multiple small uranium blocks is safe, it will also make detonation more difficult - when several uranium blocks are integrated into one, the whole can indeed exceed the critical point, and the high temperature generated by the fission reaction will The uranium block expands rapidly, reducing its density in a disguised manner, and the violent explosion pushes the raw materials farther away, interrupting the reaction.

All in all, a reasonable configuration not only requires the uranium element to reach criticality, but also maintains it in this state for as long as possible in order to exert the power of the fission reaction.

The gun-type configuration is called the gun-type because its principle is very similar to the ancient musket. Through the detonation of explosives, one uranium block is violently pushed towards another uranium block. Under huge pressure, the density of uranium blocks will increase rapidly, and even if the mass is slightly lower, it can cross the critical point.

After the shell of the device was connected, Anna personally inserted a can of packaging with a radioactive source warning mark into the reserved tail port.

That was also the last key component of the test explosion.

For a moment, Roland felt as if something had pricked his face, and even his breathing paused for a moment.

"Polonium-Beryllium Neutron Source".

Just like the name, it can provide a large number of free neutrons for fission, and it is also the most direct way to reduce the critical value. There is a row of hollow balls placed in a can-like metal container - each ball is about the size of a table tennis ball. The core is a marble-like polonium ball, which is tightly wrapped in gold foil, and is surrounded by A circle of beryllium sheets in a honeycomb shape.

When the uranium blocks collide, they will also smash the small can at the bottom of the "barrel". All the hollow balls will be pressed by the violent explosive gas and become thinner than paper. After the gold foil is broken, the beryllium pieces will mix with the polonium. The balls stick closely together, receiving all the alpha particles emitted by the latter, and then emit several times the number of neutrons.

These neutrons will participate in the fission reaction of uranium 235. If you are lucky, you can consume several percent more raw materials before the reaction is terminated, greatly increasing the power of nuclear weapons.

Since the half-life of polonium 210 is only 138 days, providing a replacement interface is an essential design. In addition, it is extremely dangerous to leave the neutron source in the weapon for a long time. After all, polonium and beryllium can spontaneously emit neutrons as long as they come into contact. Once the gold foil is damaged, the consequences will be disastrous.

After the polonium-beryllium neutron source was installed into the principle device, it changed from a mild and harmless thing to a monster that could swallow everyone present at any time.

Although Roland knew that his feelings were just an illusion and that it was impossible for people to capture the changes in the number of neutrons in the environment, he still subconsciously relaxed his breathing a lot.

At this point, the principle device has officially completed all preparations before detonation.

Anna took the initiative to hold his hand.

"Give the order."

Under the other party's calm and calm gaze, Roland nodded slightly.

Regardless of the outcome, the Solar Glory Project has finally reached this point.

After taking this step, mankind will move to a new realm.

He looked at his personal guard Sean, "Send my order, inform the command post, six hours countdown to ignition!"

"As you command, Your Majesty!"

「6:00」

"woo woo woo woo------"

"Device No. 1 has entered the ignition and ready-to-go stage. Repeat, device No. 1 has entered the ignition and ready-to-go stage. Please pack your bags immediately and leave the site in an orderly manner according to the drill plan! Note that this is not a drill. The test explosion site will It will close in an hour, and everyone must evacuate to a safe area before then!"

Soon, evacuation notices were heard throughout the place along with sirens.

"Quick, quick, everyone, gather in the open space in front of the tower, don't drag anyone down!"

"The second construction team reported the numbers, one, two, three..."

"The gate to the test explosion platform is blocked!"

"All members of the God's Punishment Witch team have arrived and began to lead the team to evacuate."

The quiet snowfield seemed to be boiling. People's shouts and the sirens repeated over and over complemented each other, and the atmosphere became tense and solemn for a while. Everyone knew in their hearts that they were about to witness an unprecedented experiment.

"3:00"

In the command post, Roland and Anna took out two keys and opened the console cover together.

When the switches were pressed one by one, the green lights on the table also lit up one after another.

"The main cable is sending power!"

"Mystery Moon 1 is working normally and the load is increasing steadily."

"Now switch to line one."

"Understood, once the line is connected, the power supply to the principle device is normal!"

The observer loudly reported the operation of the detonation system until the last green light came on, which meant that the current had been transmitted through multiple boosting stages to a high platform fifteen kilometers away.

"1:00"

The alarm also sounded over the command post, which meant that there was only one hour left in the detonation procedure.

All the doors and windows of the bunker were closed, and the oil lamps were extinguished one by one to avoid accidents caused by vibration.

The Neverwinter high-rise entered a special observation room. According to Roland's instructions, its outer facade was built into a trapezoid to better resist shock waves, while one end of the interior was deepened to accommodate the huge original carrier. body.

Pasha has been waiting for the Tachira witch for a long time.

"0:15"

It was getting dark.

The last round of urgent sirens finally came.

Regardless of whether they are senior officials, soldiers or workers, they all wore black sunglasses to protect against strong light according to the training content before the performance.

Although most people don't understand why they still wear glasses that obstruct their vision in this dark and snowy day.

I can't see anything anymore.

"0:05"

"Countdown, five minutes!"

When the announcement sounded again, the scene became silent.

All exchanges and discussions have been suspended. Everyone stared at the dark front and held their breath involuntarily.

"Three minutes countdown!"

Roland felt sweat forming on his palms.

Ana smiled and glanced at him, holding him gently.

"One minute countdown!"

A hand also stretched out from the other side, and then the five fingers overlapped.

"Ten seconds countdown!"

"Nine!"

Although it was a pity that he could not press the detonation button himself, Roland knew that this long road to historical truth had just begun.

"three!"

"two!"

"one!"

"Detonate!"

The snowfield in the distance was quiet, as if nothing had happened - time seemed to be frozen at this moment, as if a long time had passed, but also as if it was only a short moment.

Then an extremely dazzling blue light bloomed from the horizon, tearing apart the darkness in front of him in an instant!

1 second to remember Aishang Novel Network:. Mobile version reading URL: