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SERIES OVERVIEW

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

 ORDERING, CONTACTS & TECHNICAL

ABOUT CHUCK HANSEN 

ABOUT U.S. CLASSIFICATION

How & Why This Series Came To Exist……………………

     I-i 

Volumes Now Available…………………………………………

     I-iv

A Note About Sources ………………………………………

     I-ix

  Acknowledgements (1987) ……………..………………………

     I-xv 

  Preface (1987) …………………..…………………

     I-xvii

    Preface (1995)…….………………………………

     I-xxi

    Forward (1995)………………………………. …………

     I-xxv

       Posthumous Acknowledgements (2007) .…………

     I-xxix

       Forward (2007)……….…………………….………

     I-xxxi

In Memorium – Chuck Hansen……………….……………….

     I-xxxv

The Chuck Hansen Document Collection…… ……………….

    I-xxxix

GLOSSARY………………………………………………

I-2

OVERVIEW  ……….…………………………………

I-50

Units- a Frame of Reference   ………………………

I-55

   Time …………….………………………………….. ……

I-56

   Distance ………………………………………….……………

I-57

   Temperature ….….………………………………….…

I-58

   Pressure …….…………………………………….………

I-59

FISSION PHYSICS  ………..…………………………………

I-61

FUSION PHYSICS …………….……………………

I-65

 Fissile Explosives …………………………….………

I-74

 Uranium…………………………………….…………

I-74

    Plutonium……………………………………...……

I-77

    Thorium……………………………………….……

I-79

Fission Explosion Principles …………………………

I-80

   Gun Assembly…………

I-82

   Spherical Implosion…………………………

I-82

       High-Energy Neutron Bombardment………………….

I-85

       Reaction Efficiency - Alpha…………………………

I-88

      Transit Time………………………………....………

I-90

        Improving Fission Efficiency……………....……

I-91

   Thermonuclear Explosives ……………………..……..

I-93

       Lithium……………………………………...………

I-94

       Deuterium…………………………………..………

I-95

       Tritium……………………………….……..………

I-96

   Fusion Explosion Principles ……………………….

I-97

       Compression………………………………..………

I-99

        Inertial Confinement……………………

I-100

       Staging…………………………………………

I-102

      “Breeding” Tritium…………………..……………

I-106

       Uranium – Plutonium Contribution…..………..

I-108

       Fluid Instabilities……………………..……….

I-110

       Radiation Focusing………………………….……

I-111

   Boosted Fission Principles …………………….…

I-112

Modern Thermonuclear Design ………………………

I-117

SUMMARY ……………………………………

I-118

Overview…………………………………………….………

I-119

The Search for Simplicity ……………….…………..……

I-143

Advances in High Explosives …..…………………..………

I-176

   Development of New Postwar Explosives ………..….……

I-181

   HE Manufacturing Methods …………………... ……

I-188

   Insensitive High Explosives ……………….…………

I-193

   High Explosives Naming Conventions .…………………

I-197

Advances in Pit Designs ………………….………………

I-199

   Levitation ……………………………….……………

I-199

   Composite Cores……………………………………

I-206

   Uranium Implosion …………………...………………

I-218

   Uranium Hydride……………...…………………

I-220

Operation SANDSTONE……………………………….

I-238

Summary of Sandstone Results……………………………

I-246

Alternative Fissionable Materials……………………….…

I-257

Hollow Cores ……………………………..…………

I-276

Interchangeability …………………………. ……

I-281

Linear Implosion…………………………. ………………..

I-285

Advances in Tampers and Reflectors …………………………

I-291

Advances in Neutron Sources ……………..…………………

I-296

   Postwar Improvements of Internal Initiators ……………....…

I-297

   Development of External Initiators………..………….……

I-318

   Advent of the External Neutron Source (ENS) ……

I-344

   Summer 1954: A Proposal for Declassification……………

I-357

   Tests of External Neutron Sources………..……………

I-361

   ENS Production Begins………………………. ………

I-366

   Spring 1960: Initiator Details are Published…. ………

I-374

Advances in Boosted Fission Weapons …..………………

I-380

   Plans for Testing a Boosted Device…..…………………

I-384

Summary………. …………………………. …………

I-397

APPENDIX:  NUCLEAR WARHEAD SCHEMATICS  ……

I-399

Overview…………………………………………………………..

II-1

Wartime Development…………………………………………….

II-3

Early Postwar Studies and Designs………………………………..

II-23

The April 1946 Super  Conference…………………………

II-27

September 1946: The Advent of the Alarm Clock ………………..

II-48

April 1947: A Proposal for Thermonuclear Testing………………

II-58

Teller  Suggests a Two-Year Delay………………………………..

II-61

The Los Alamos Technical Program for 1949…………………….

II-75

The First Soviet Nuclear Explosion, September 1949…….………

II-81

The General Advisory Committee Votes Against the H-Bomb…..

II-89

Truman  Appoints a Special NSC  Advisory Subcommittee………

II-96

The Los Alamos Technical Program for 1950……………………

II-103

The NSC  Subcommittee Reports to Truman ……………………..

II-108

The Status of the H-Bomb Program, January 1950…………

II-118

The Establishment of the Family Committee………………

II-121

March 1950: Los Alamos Revises Its Technical Program……

II-127

To Go Public or Not: The AEC Ponders……………………

II-133

June 1950: Diminishing Prospects for the H-Bomb………………

II-144

October 1950: The GAC  Reviews the H-Bomb Program……

II-157

The LASL  Technical Program for 1951-1952………………

II-162

The Large-Scale Application of Radiation Implosion ………

II-170

Why Did It Take So Long? …………………………………

II-188

Compression : The Key to Success …………………………

II-193

The JCAE  Polls the Scientists ………………………………

II-197

Operation GREENHOUSE …………………………………

II-203

Planning for GREENHOUSE ………………………………

II-209

Operation RANGER : Prelude to GREENHOUSE ……

II-223

Operation GREENHOUSE : Operational Phase …………

II-243

The George  Shot ………………………………………

II-249

The Item Shot ……………………………………………

II-257

Results of GREENHOUSE  ………………………………

II-260

The Princeton Conference, June 1951 ……………………

II-264

Preparations for Enriched Lithium Production ……………

II-270

Teller and the Second Weapons Laboratory ……………

II-278

Planning for the First Large-Scale Thermonuclear Test ……

II-283

Establishment of the Panda Committee …………………

II-288

Opposition to the Second Weapons Laboratory ……………

II-290

Designing the First Large-Scale Thermonuclear Test Device… 

II-302

Teller Pursues the Second Weapons Laboratory ………

II-307

The LASL  1952-1953 Technical Program …………………

II-316