What is "neutron bomb"

n. An atomic bomb that produces a greater amount of neutrons, and a lesser amount of blast; the intention being to destroy life but not infrastructure.

n. atom bomb that produces lethal neutrons with less blast

Energy distribution of weapon

Energy type

Standard %

Enhanced %

Blast

50

40 to minimum 30

Thermal energy

35

25 to minimum 20

Prompt radiation

5

45 to minimum 30

Residual radiation

10

5

A neutron bomb, officially termed as a type of Enhanced Radiation Weapon (ERW), is a low yield thermonuclear weapon in which a burst of neutrons generated by a nuclear fusion reaction is intentionally allowed to escape the weapon, rather than being absorbed by its other components. The neutron bomb was to be used as a tactical nuclear weapon intended for use against armored forces. Originally conceived by the U.S. military, their design goals were to stop massed Soviet armored divisions from overrunning allied nations with less civilian and structural collateral damage to these allied nations.

The weapon's radiation case, usually made from relatively thick uranium, lead or steel in a standard bomb, is, instead, made of as thin a material as possible, to facilitate the greatest escape of fusion-produced neutrons. The usual nuclear weapon yield—expressed as kilotons of TNT equivalent—is not a measure of a neutron weapon's destructive power. It refers only to the energy released (mostly heat and blast), and does not express the lethal effect of neutron radiation on living organisms.

Compared to a pure fission bomb with an identical explosive yield, a neutron bomb would emit about ten times the amount of neutron radiation. In a fission bomb, at sea level, the total radiation pulse energy which is composed of both gamma rays and neutrons is approximately 5% of the entire energy released; in the neutron bomb it would be closer to 40%. Furthermore, the neutrons emitted by a neutron bomb have a much higher average energy level (close to 14 M eV) than those released during a fission reaction (1–2 MeV). Technically speaking, all low yield nuclear weapons are radiation weapons, including non-enhanced variants. Up to about 10 kilotons in yield, all nuclear weapons have prompt neutron radiation as their furthest-reaching lethal component, after which point the lethal blast and thermal effects radius begins to out-range the lethal ionizing radiation radius. Enhanced radiation weapons also fall into this same yield range and simply enhance the intensity and range of the neutron dose for a given yield.