this post was submitted on 11 Jun 2024
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A demon core was part of early nuclear bomb research. The type of reaction they were studying would emit blue light and a ton of radiation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demon_core
It's been a meme to imagine the demon core as an available weapon in medieval fantasy, since it looks somewhat like a mace.
It's also memeable due to Louis Slotins blasé approach to safety, as the demon core was kept from going critical merely by shoving a screwdriver between the two half-sphere neutron-reflectors that it was kept inside.
If, or rather when (because it occurred twice), allowed to completely enclose it, they would cause it to go critical, emitting lethal amounts of radiation, instantly.
Louis and one other researcher died due to incidents involving accidental supercriticality. Many more were severely irradiated.
The blue light is caused by all radiation in the correct conditions.
It was really stupid of him to be so cocky about it... eventually causing his own demise. But it is funny that the Wikipedia article says how he had done the experiment many times before, "often in jeans and cowboy boots" lmao.
Thank you