Designing a workable fission bomb presents many technical challenges. The process of nuclear fission is best known within the context of fission bombs and as the process that operates within nuclear power plants. The mass of uranium or other fissile element that is required in order to sustain a chain reaction is called the critical mass.
In the first step a uranium 235 atom absorbs a neutron and splits into two new atoms fission fragments releasing three new neutrons and a large amount of binding energy. A possible nuclear fission chain reaction. The fission process often produces free neutrons and photons in the form of gamma rays and releases a large amount of energy in nuclear physics nuclear fission is either a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process the case of decay process is called spontaneous fission.
Nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction in which the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts lighter nuclei. The process may take place spontaneously in some cases or may be induced by the excitation of the nucleus with a. In nuclear fission the nucleus of an atom breaks up into two lighter nuclei.
Nuclear fission subdivision of a heavy atomic nucleus such as that of uranium or plutonium into two fragments of roughly equal mass the process is accompanied by the release of a large amount of energy. The nuclear chain reaction releases several million times more energy per reaction than any. The specific nuclear reaction may be the fission of heavy isotopes e g uranium 235 235 u.
Nuclear chain reaction occurs when one single nuclear reaction causes an average of one or more subsequent nuclear reactions thus leading to the possibility of a self propagating series of these reactions. Nuclear fission of heavy elements was discovered on. In nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry nuclear fission is a nuclear reaction or a radioactive decay process in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller lighter nuclei the fission process often produces gamma photons and releases a very large amount of energy even by the energetic standards of radioactive decay.
