We seem to have hit the limit with tests such as Tsar Bomba, but that is only because it’s not reasonable or necessary to push it any farther. But I’m wondering what the theoretical limit is. Is there a limit for a single device in which size would make an effective reaction impossible?
In: 1
Tsar Bomba was only tested at half its design yield because it was already ridiculously powerfull. Documentaries claim the shockwave circled the globe three times.
Since its been 40+ years (and meanwhile computers were invented) it’s probably reasonable to say that designs with 10x or 20x the explosive yield are entirely possible with current technology.
So basically we can already make weapons much larger than any practical use calls for.
Maybe someday we’ll want to nuke an asteroid or something and build designs at 100x Tear Bombas yield.
What we can build is only limited by our technology so we’ll probably never know just how big the theoretical maximum is.
Odds are we’ll switch to more powerfull energy sources like antimatter before bothering to build ludicrously large fusion devices.
Latest Answers