King Thomas
Banned
Is there a way for the USA to invent nukes by 1939? And if it does, how will that effect WW2?
with a POD back far enough anything is possible.There are three obstacles:
1. Knowing the basics. This means measuring the neutron absorption and fission cross sections of two different isotopes of uranium, as well as the neutron product of fission and the effects of internal moderation and initiation timing on the device. These are difficult tasks.
2. Calculating the specifics. This would be quite skilled labor intensive to do with pencil and paper, but clearly possible.
3. Separating isotopes, if a uranium device is intended; if a plutonium device (i.e., more than a very few bombs) is intended, it is necessary to design, construct, and operate a nuclear reactor, measure the neutron reaction cross sections of various isotopes of plutonium, and design a complex implosion device. These things require time and major resources.
The probability of any of these things being done quickly, for a speculative and very radical project, without EXTREME pressure is dubious. In 1939 the only conceivable motive was weapons, and after all several nations possessed poison gas yet refrained from using it. The strategic value of nuclear weapons, especially primitive ones, can be overestimated: many conventional bomb raids did more damage than Little Boy.
with a POD back far enough anything is possible.