Pit (nuclear weapon)

<p>In <a href="/facts/Nuclear_weapon_design/gw0LEc74">nuclear weapon design</a>, the pit is the core of an <a href="/facts/Implosion_nuclear_weapon/gw0LEc74">implosion nuclear weapon</a>, consisting of <a href="/facts/Fissile_material/XJR9qoxW">fissile material</a> and any <a href="/facts/Neutron_reflector/yDkgmcrE">neutron reflector</a> or <a href="/facts/Tamper_(nuclear_weapon)/yDkgmcrE">tamper</a> bonded to it. Early pits were spherical, while most modern pits are <a href="/facts/Prolate_spheroid/GJyyLxQ7">prolate spheroidal</a>. Some weapons tested during the 1950s used pits made with <a href="/facts/Uranium-235/pe0RznDM">uranium-235</a> alone, or as a <a href="/facts/Composite_material/UBysQldh">composite</a> with <a href="/facts/Plutonium/4bUw9zH3">plutonium</a>. All-plutonium pits are the smallest in diameter and have been the standard since the early 1960s. The pit is named after the hard core found in <a href="/facts/Drupe/WrnGMPSa">stonefruit</a> such as <a href="/facts/Peach/I7FLcBTU">peaches</a> and <a href="/facts/Apricot/xCVFYtMK">apricots</a>.
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Pit (nuclear weapon) open-in-new

Pit (nuclear weapon)