EDIT: I'm getting bullshit downvotes from people who clearly won't read the paper and don't understand the proposed detonation model. One need not have grams of antimatter to trigger a H-H fusion detonation. A relatively small amount of antimatter is needed to trigger initial fusion of a hydrogen target, which by cascade can be used to detonate additional hydrogen. This removes the fission trigger and allows for very small fusion weapons with relatively low yields. For example, a device the size of a hand grenade with tons of TNT equivalent output - like a truck bomb in your hand. Or a rifle sized X-Ray laser is another proposed weapon.

Read the study. This technology is feasible.

[–] anton@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 11 hours ago (3 children)

The paper you linked says "1 microgram is sufficient to trigger one thermonuclear weapon" which corresponds to 6×10^17.
This makes your "few thousand" of by 14 orders of magnitude instead of 15, I bet you feel vindicated now.

For example, a device the size of a hand grenade with tons of TNT equivalent output

A [man portable nuke[(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W54) has existed since the 60's so it wouldn't be a game changer.

[–] Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

You're getting the microgram statement from here. You miss the point. A millionth of a gram is feasible to make and contain right now. It was predicted by 2010 in the paper using CERN, and there are much better facilities producing since then.

You're missing the point to be pedantic over a 20 year old paper. Because you originally thought I was arguing a pure antimatter weapon, which I wasn't. Newer approaches reduce the antimatter requirements for such weapons even more.

This might make you wonder why antimatter is being transported around. The fact is, proposals to weaponize antimatter as a fusion trigger have been around for over 40 years, and the means to achieving that from a production and engineering standpoint seem a good bet to be available today.

[–] HalfAFrisbee@lemmy.world 2 points 10 hours ago

LMAO, the little baby down voted you.

[–] AbidanYre@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

I think even the TSA could tell that's a bomb.