nukes and radiation question

[Shinova]

Does the radioactive fallout happen only with nuclear fission-based weapons or can it happen with a weapon of any sufficient explosive power?

[Instant Sunrise]

The products of Uranium-235 fission are inherently unstable, and will decay, emitting ionizing radiation. The blast scatters this, causing fallout.

It is inherent in most fission and fusion reactions.

So, the answer is that fallout does not occur with conventional weapons of that scale.

[Patrick Degan]

Radioisotopic byproducts are entirely the result of nuclear reactions and are never produced by any type of chemical explosive.

[Shroom Man 777]

No duh. Although anti-matter also produces fucking huge quantities of radiation when it goes boom, right?

[Glimmervoid]

No duh. Although anti-matter also produces fucking huge quantities of radiation when it goes boom, right?

Yes but is almost all gamma no alpha or beta. The main product of an anti matter explosion (IIRC) is gamma rays.

[Ender]

No duh. Although anti-matter also produces fucking huge quantities of radiation when it goes boom, right?

Yes but is almost all gamma no alpha or beta. The main product of an anti matter explosion (IIRC) is gamma rays.

pions actually, then gamma rays. proton-antiproton interaction releases roughly 70% of its energy as charged pions, the other 30% as gamma rays. A charged pion will then decay within a few nanoseconds to an electron and several neutrinos.

[Ender]

Does the radioactive fallout happen only with nuclear fission-based weapons or can it happen with a weapon of any sufficient explosive power?

It cannot occur with a chemical or antimatter based explosive, and is unlikely to occur from a fusion based explosive. The majority of the fallout is the unconsumbed fissable material. The rest is normal material activated by exposure to the high neutron flux (EG Cobalt 60). Since fusion bombs only use a little fissable material to trigger the fusion, there is less of it to be spread out so most any fallout from them would be the matterial activated. And that is a pretty tiny ammount. Fallut from fission bombs is not as great as most fear as well, while fat man and little boy released a lot, they wer extremely inefficient bombs. The trillion or so dollars spent in the intervening decades saw vast increases in efficiency.

[Glimmervoid]

No duh. Although anti-matter also produces fucking huge quantities of radiation when it goes boom, right?

Yes but is almost all gamma no alpha or beta. The main product of an anti matter explosion (IIRC) is gamma rays.

pions actually, then gamma rays. proton-antiproton interaction releases roughly 70% of its energy as charged pions, the other 30% as gamma rays. A charged pion will then decay within a few nanoseconds to an electron and several neutrinos.

Thanks never new that. What is a charged pion?

[RedImperator]

A nuclear airburst will produce very little fallout. A groundburst, on the other hand, sucks ground matter through the fireball, soaks it in neutrons, and sprays it out as radioactive material which will then drift downwind.