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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#0D0D0D'>EMP from a nuclear weapon in the first E1 stage is generated by the Compton effect (<span class=apple-style-span>gamma rays collide with atoms in the mid-stratosphere, the gamma rays knock out electrons from air atoms, and the electrons produce a huge current that reaches the Earth. Gamma rays also generate the lightning-like EMP in the E2 stage. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='color:#0D0D0D'><o:p> </o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span class=apple-style-span><span style='color:#0D0D0D'>I'm unaware of any role of x-rays in generating EMP effects, since they don't generate currents, and since standard hardening (using metallic shielding) is designed to counter EMP (but is largely ineffective in blocking x-rays), I would tend to doubt x-rays are significant threats (except possibly to chips, I haven't looked into x-ray effects on chips. Maybe someone else can comment on that. </span></span><span style='color:#0D0D0D'><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse#Characteristics_of_nuclear_EMP"><span style='color:#0D0D0D'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electromagnetic_pulse#Characteristics_of_nuclear_EMP</span></a> has a good explanation, which also mentions that "t</span><span class=apple-style-span><span style='color:black'>here are reports of "super-EMP" nuclear weapons that are able to overcome the 50,000 volt per metre limit by the very nearly instantaneous release of a burst of gamma radiation of much higher energy levels than are known to be produced by second generation nuclear weapons.</span></span><span class=apple-converted-space><span style='color:black'>" That may be related to </span></span>Timmerman's statements. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I haven't noticed any technical errors with Timmerman's writing to date (although I haven't looked for them either). He seems to do excellent factual research. I not qualified to judge his political statements. I have a background in electronic warfare systems engineering, but I haven't worked with EMP systems, so I may be missing some key errors in the above statements.<span class=apple-converted-space><span style='color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org [mailto:extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>john clark<br><b>Sent:</b> Thursday, June 16, 2011 9:36 PM<br><b>To:</b> extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [ExI] North Korea's super EMP Bomb<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0><tr><td valign=top style='padding:0in 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal>This sounds like pure crackpot bullshit to me. EMP is caused by ionizing gasses in the upper atmosphere and soft X rays, the primary energy output of thermonuclear bombs, ionizes things just fine, so there would be no point in using Gamma rays; and the idea of a 3 kiloton bomb " emitting more gamma radiation than a 25-megaton nuclear weapon" is nuts. I don't think the author of this article knows much physics, if you want to make a huge EMP you don't need a new type of bomb, just a regular old H bomb exploded a few hundred miles over Iowa would do a pretty good job fucking up the entire USA. <br><br> John K Clark<br>=============<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:black'><br>Read more on Newsmax.com: <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/KenTimmerman/super-emp-emp-northkorea-nuke/2011/06/16/id/400260#ixzz1PVI06ex6"><span style='color:#003399'>North Korea Tests 'Super-EMP' Nuke</span></a> <br>Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? <a href="http://polls.newsmax.com/repeal/?PROMO_CODE=B683-1" target="_blank"><span style='color:#003399'>Vote Here Now!</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><br><br>--- On <b>Thu, 6/16/11, Jeff Davis <i><jrd1415@gmail.com></i></b> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><br>From: Jeff Davis <jrd1415@gmail.com><br>Subject: Re: [ExI] North Korea's super EMP Bomb<br>To: "ExI chat list" <extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org><br>Date: Thursday, June 16, 2011, 10:00 PM<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Thu, Jun 16, 2011 at 5:01 PM, Kelly Anderson <<a href="/mc/compose?to=kellycoinguy@gmail.com">kellycoinguy@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>> Not QUITE an existential threat until we're all uploaded, but a pretty<br>> darn big potential threat!<br>><br>> <a href="http://www.newsmax.com/KenTimmerman/super-emp-emp-northkorea-nuke/2011/06/16/id/400260" target="_blank">http://www.newsmax.com/KenTimmerman/super-emp-emp-northkorea-nuke/2011/06/16/id/400260</a><br>><br>> -Kelly<br><br>Can't speak to the credibility issue here, because the author Ken<br>Timmerman is a neocon, perhaps even an extremist among neocons.<br>Setting that aside however, and assuming that the North Koreans have<br>adopted the optimized EMP design -- a minimum nuke with a maximum EMP<br>-- then I have to give the N Koreans credit: very, very smart play.<br>Huge deterrence multiplier. Advanced technological societies must be<br>assessed as profoundly vulnerable by virtue of their comprehensive<br>dependence -- infrastructure as well as everything else -- on<br>electronic systems vulnerable to EMP attack.<br><br>Boy, talk about bang for your buck! Way to go Kim!<br><br>Best, Jeff Davis<br><br>"We're a band of higher primates stuck on the surface<br>of an atmosphere-hazed dirtball. I can associate with<br>that. I certainly can't identify with which patch of the dirtball I<br>currently happen to be on, and which monkey tribe happens to reside<br>therein.<br><br>Only by taking the big view we can make it a common<br>dream, and then a reality. It's worth it."<br> Eugen Leitl<br>_______________________________________________<br>extropy-chat mailing list<br><a href="/mc/compose?to=extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org</a><br><a href="http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat" target="_blank">http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat</a><o:p></o:p></p></div></td></tr></table><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div></body></html>