Britannica AI Icon

Teller-Ulam configuration

physics

Quick Summary

The Teller-Ulam configuration is a design for thermonuclear weapons, often referred to as hydrogen bombs. This design, developed by scientists Stanislaw Ulam and Edward Teller in the early 1950s, involves a two-stage process.

The first stage is a fission bomb that, when detonated, generates intense radiation. This radiation is then channeled to compress a separate component containing thermonuclear fuel. This compression, along with the high temperatures generated, initiates the thermonuclear fusion reaction, releasing a massive amount of energy. This design was a significant advancement over earlier concepts for hydrogen bombs, enabling more efficient and powerful weapons.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.