Nuclear electromagnetic pulse - Wikipedia
A nuclear electromagnetic pulse (nuclear EMP or NEMP) is a burst of electromagnetic radiation created by a nuclear explosion. The resulting rapidly varying electric and magnetic fields may couple with electrical and electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage surges.
High altitude electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack scenario …
The electromagnetic fields produced by weapons designed and deployed with the intent to produce EMP have a high likelihood of damaging electrical power systems, electronics, and information systems upon which the U.S. military and American society depends.
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Following a Nuclear Detonation
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is an intense pulse or surge of long wavelength radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation produced when an explosion occurs near the earth’s surface or at high altitudes. EMP occurs at the instant of the detonation of an IND and ends within a few seconds.
The EMP threat: fact, fiction, and response (part 1) - The Space …
As a nuclear EMP device is exploded at an altitude of between 40–400 kilometers, the downward directed gamma rays collide with electrons in air molecules of the thin upper atmosphere transferring their energy to the electrons via the Compton process.
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Weapons Explained: How Do They …
Jun 10, 2023 · An EMP is essentially a very powerful and directed magnetic field that passes over an area. As it passes, it interacts with conductive materials and causes short-circuits and power surges.
One Atmospheric Nuclear Explosion Could Take Out the Power Grid
Sep 1, 2021 · Over 1,000 miles away, the blast knocked out electricity supply in parts of Hawaii and disrupted telephone service for a period of time.
Nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) | Britannica
Aug 16, 2024 · The development of the EMP is shaped by the initial nuclear radiation from the explosion—specifically, the gamma radiation. High-energy electrons are produced in the environment of the explosion when gamma rays collide with air molecules (a process called the Compton effect).
EMP: Could it happen to me? - Los Alamos National Laboratory
Apr 1, 2024 · It’s a scene out of a science fiction movie: A nuclear detonation creates a burst of electromagnetic energy that wipes out communication and electronic equipment and disables the nation’s power grids. From the internet to cell phones, all systems fail.
Damage Zones after a Nuclear Detonation: Idealized Maps
Blast overpressures that characterize the MD zone are an outer boundary of about 2-3 psi and inner boundary of about 5-8 psi. When most buildings are severely damaged or collapsed, responders have encountered the severe damage zone.
Sixty Years After, Physicists Model Electromagnetic Pulse of a Once ...
On the night of July 9, 1962, a brilliant flash lit the sky above Hawaii. Lights on some streets went dark, and inter-island communications from Kauai were severed. A red, aurora-like glow haunted the southwesterly skyline for hours.