Nuclear weapon design

Nuclear weapon design is the engineering of weapons to produce a specified nuclear detonation by arranging fissile or fusion fuel and other components. It encompasses physical principles, safety, delivery constraints, and verification.

Nuclear fission: The splitting of a heavy atomic nucleus into lighter nuclei, releasing energy and neutrons. Fission supplies the rapid energy release in fission weapons and can initiate fusion stages.
Fissile material: Material capable of sustaining a neutron-driven nuclear fission chain reaction. Its nuclear properties and availability constrain fission weapon design.
Manhattan Project: The United States-led World War II program that developed the first nuclear weapons. It organized the scientific and industrial work that produced the first weapon designs.
Gun-type fission weapon: A fission weapon design that rapidly joins subcritical fissile components to form a supercritical assembly. It contrasts with implosion designs in its assembly method and material requirements.
Nuclear arms race: Competition between states to build larger or more capable nuclear arsenals. New design capabilities have repeatedly driven strategic competition and countermeasures.
Nuclear fusion: The joining of light atomic nuclei into heavier nuclei, releasing energy under suitable conditions. Fusion fuel can contribute energy in staged thermonuclear weapons.
Uranium-235: A uranium isotope that can sustain a fission chain reaction with slow neutrons. It is one of the principal fissile isotopes used in nuclear weapons.
Los Alamos Laboratory: The New Mexico research laboratory established to design and assemble the first atomic bombs. Its wartime teams integrated physics, materials, and engineering into complete weapons.
Implosion-type fission weapon: A fission weapon design that compresses fissile material to reach a supercritical state. It became a key alternative to the gun-type approach, especially for plutonium.
Nuclear deterrence: A strategy that seeks to prevent aggression by threatening unacceptable nuclear retaliation. Weapon performance and survivability inform the credibility of deterrent threats.

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