Mar 03, 2024 21:00:00

'Hiroshima glass' formed by the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima may reveal the origin of the solar system

The atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 not only caused catastrophic damage that killed more than 160,000 people, but also caused various effects such as an increase in the incidence of cancer due to radiation. is bringing about. A research team led by physicist Nathan Asset of the University of Paris-Cité in France has reported that they have discovered a new material, ``Hiroshima glass,'' formed by the atomic bomb, during a survey conducted in Hiroshima Bay . .

Condensation of fallout glasses in the Hiroshima nuclear fireball resulting in oxygen mass-independent fractionation - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0012821X23004867

Hiroshima fallout debris linked to first solar system condensates

https://phys.org/news/2024-02-hiroshima-fallout-debris-linked-solar.html

The atomic bomb, which exploded 580 meters above Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, turned into a plasma fireball with a temperature of approximately 10 million degrees and 1 million atmospheres within a radius of 260 meters, causing a heat wave of 6,287 degrees Celsius on the ground. It is being

Just 0.35 seconds after the explosion, the pressure of the fireball rapidly decreased in line with the pressure of the surrounding atmosphere, and within 10 seconds the temperature was said to have dropped from 1726 °C to 1226 °C. As a result, in the 0.5 to 2 seconds immediately following the explosion, concrete, iron-aluminum alloys, industrial glass, and soil were instantly vaporized and mixed with sand, river water, and the atmosphere, creating a variety of glasses. I got it.

The research team analyzed 94 pieces of 'Hiroshima glass' discovered in Hiroshima Bay, and found that it contains

azoclase , which is composed of silicon dioxide , high calcium oxide, and magnesium oxide, and white grain rock, which has a high content of aluminum oxide and contains iron. They identified four types of glass likely to have been formed by the atomic bomb: soda lime rich in silicon dioxide and sodium oxide, and a substance composed mostly of silicon dioxide. Below are examples of Hiroshima glass identified by the research team.

The research team also measured the isotopic composition of the silicon dioxide they discovered. The results revealed that a glass consisting of azofeldspar was formed first, followed by white grain rock, then soda lime, and then pure silicon dioxide.

According to the research team, the formation of these substances is related to the rapid condensation within the fireball, which is approximately 720 to 3,000 degrees Celsius, caused by the detonation of the atomic bomb. This condensation process is thought to be very similar to the formation of the aluminum- and calcium-rich solids called

CAI , which first condensed in the primordial solar disk through the evaporation of interstellar dust and gas .

In fact, it has been revealed that the isotopic composition of silicon dioxide in Hiroshima Glass was within the composition range of CAI, and although the environment in which Hiroshima Glass was formed was different from that of CAI, research The team hopes that by understanding the formation process of Hiroshima glass, which changes from gas to solid, it will be possible to clarify the origin of the solar system and the subsequent formation process of materials.