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North Korea claims it’s created a thermonuclear bomb,
朝鲜宣称自己制造了一枚热核炸弹，
so how is this any worse than just a regular ol’ nuclear bomb?
那么，这种炸弹比普通原子弹的威力大在哪里呢?
Blessings of the glorious leader be upon you, I’m Julian here for DNews.
光荣的领袖祝福你们，我是朱利安，欢迎大家收看今天的DNews。
North Korea, a country that ranks in my top two Koreas, and recently announced it has successfully detonated a Hydrogen bomb.
朝鲜，我两大朝鲜中排名最靠前的两位中的一位，最近宣布成功引爆了一枚氢弹。
The country has a detonated atomic weapons in the past, but an H-bomb could be a game changer.
这个国家过去还有原子弹，但氢弹可能会直接颠覆当下的游戏规则。
First, a quick primer on atomic weapons.
首先，我们来简单地介绍一下原子武器。
The original A-bombs, like the ones the US dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
初代原子弹，比如美国在广岛和长崎投下的那种，
worked by splitting the nuclei of heavy elements into smaller ones in a process called fission.
是经由一种所谓“裂变”的过程，将重元素的原子核分裂成更小的原子核。
They use either Uranium-235 or Plutonium, which, when split, release neutrons that split more atoms in a chain reaction.
那时用的要么是铀235，要么是钚，这些元素分裂时，会释放出能够经由链式反应分裂出更多原子的中子。
The resulting elements have a smaller total mass than the original, so where did that missing mass go?
最终得到的元素的总质量会比原来的小，那么缺失的质量去哪儿了?
Well, if you remember Einstein’s equation E=mc2 you know that energy is equal to mass times the speed of light squared.
如果你还记得爱因斯坦的质能方程E=mc2的话，你就知道能量等于质量乘以光速的平方。
This means that a tiny amount of mass is equivalent to huge amounts of energy.
这就意味着，即便是很小的质量，其能量也是大得惊人的。
If you’re making a weapon,
制造武器的时候，
this principle means the amount of Uranium-235 you can fit in a coffee mug packs the same punch as 20 thousand tons of TNT.
这一原理就意味着，一个咖啡杯容量的铀235就能释放出相当于2万吨TNT的威力。
But A-bombs leave a lot of atomic fuel un-split, which is where Hydrogen bombs come in.
不过，原子弹会残留大量未分裂的原子核，所以，氢弹登场的机会到了。
An H-bomb detonation starts the same way an A-bomb does: Uranium-235 or Plutonium is split, releasing tons of energy.
氢弹的爆炸原理和原子弹是一样的：铀235或钚经过分裂，释放出大量的能量。
However, right next to the A-bomb primary is, you guessed it, hydrogen.
然而，和原子弹的要素紧紧相邻的，你猜对了，是氢。
More specifically, Deuterium and Tritium.
更具体地说，是氘和氚。
Deuterium is a stable hydrogen isotope with one proton and one neutron,
氘是一种十分稳定的氢同位素，有一个质子和一个中子，
and Tritium is also an isotope with one proton and two neutrons.
氚也是氢的同位素，有一个质子和两个中子。
The two isotopes can be smashed together to form helium in a process called fusion, like what happens in the core of our sun,
这两种同位素可以通过所谓的“聚变”相互碰撞形成氦，太阳的核心区域发生的也是这一反应，
but that only starts to happen at 50 million degrees celsius, hence why these devices are called 'thermonuclear bombs."
但只有反应温度达到5000万摄氏度，这种反应才会开始发生，这也是这类装置为什么被称之为“热核炸弹”的原因。
The x-rays from the exploding atomic bomb have enough energy to implode the hydrogen
原子弹爆炸时释放的X射线蕴含着足以让氢元素内爆的能量，
and they travel at the speed of light, so they get to the Hydrogen before the shock wave blows the bomb apart into less deadly chunks.
而且，这些射线能够以光速前进，因而能在原子弹爆炸产生的冲击波崩破原子弹，让爆炸变得不那么致命之前到达氢原子的位置。
Of course, the fusion fuel produces plenty of energy itself,
当然了，聚变燃料本身也会释放大量的能量，
but it also produces more free neutrons which can be used to make the fission more efficient.
但它还会释放大量能够让裂变变得更加有效的自由中子。
For this reason the H-bomb is often wrapped in a “tamper” of more Uranium-235,
由于这个原因，氢弹经常会被放到配了更多铀235的“填塞器”中包起来，
meaning it explodes in stages of fission to fusion to fission again, like a turducken of armageddon.
这就意味着它是在裂变到聚变再到裂变的过程中爆炸的，犹如毁灭世界的特大啃（火鸡包鸭鸭包鸡）一样。
Theoretically it could have several stages, and designs with up to seven layers have been drawn up,
从理论上讲，爆炸可以分成几个阶段，科学家们也写出了多达七层的设计草案，
but eventually what’s the point? I mean just how dead do you need to make something?
但最终的意义是什么呢？我的意思是，真正做成样子以后会有多大威力呢?
The largest man-made explosion ever was a 3-stage Hydrogen bomb the equivalent of 50 million tons of TNT called the Tsar Bomba.
有史以来最大的人为制造的爆炸是一枚三级氢弹，相当于五千万吨TNT炸药的威力，这一炸弹被称为“沙皇炸弹”。
I’ll let you guess the country.
发明这枚炸弹的国家就由你们来猜吧。
So Hydrogen bombs can be thousands of times more energetic than Atomic weapons, which North Korea has already tested.
由此来看，氢弹的威力可以达到朝鲜已经试验过的核武器的数千倍。
And since they deliver maximum bang for their size, h-bombs can more easily fit on a missile and devastate a city.
由于同等大小的炸弹氢弹的威力最大，所以它也更容易安装在导弹上，去摧毁一座城市。
But North Korea probably didn't set off an H-bomb.
但朝鲜可能并没有引爆氢弹。
The seismic readings from the test area are on par with nuclear tests the country conducted 3 years ago,
试验区的地震读数与该国3年前进行核试验时的读数相当，
making experts skeptical North Korea has pulled off the expensive and complicated feat of creating a thermonuclear device.
所以，专家们怀疑朝鲜是否真的已经完成了制造热核设备这一昂贵而复杂的壮举。
You may be wondering how North Korea figured out how to make any sort of atomic weapon in the first place.
你可能会好奇，朝鲜最初是如何想出制造原子弹，不管什么原子弹的方法的。
You can get your history fix from Lisette at Test Tube right over here.
针对这个问题，大家可以查阅Lisette at Test Tube的这期视频。
Since 2006, North Korea has illegitely conducted four underground newclear test, roughly ever three to four years.
自2006年以来，朝鲜已经非法进行了四次地下核试验，时间大约为三到四年一次。
The presence of radio activity has suggested that there have indeed been newclear weapons.
电波活动表明，该区域确实有核武器出现过的痕迹。
Are you worried about North Korea or is their bark worse than their bite?
你对朝鲜有担忧吗，还是觉得他们雷声大雨点小呢?
Tell us your thoughts in the comments, or on twitters with the hashtag #AskDNews,
请在评论中告诉我们吧，也可以以“AskDNews”为标签在推特上告诉我们噢，
subscribe for more, and I’ll see you next time on DNews.
欢迎大家订阅我们的栏目，我们下次节目再见。
