Nuclear electromagnetic pulse
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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A nuclear electromagnetic pulse (commonly abbreviated as nuclear EMP, or NEMP) is a burst of electromagnetic radiation created by a nuclear explosion. The resulting rapidly varying electric and magnetic fields may couple with electrical and electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage surges. The specific characteristics of a particular nuclear EMP event vary according to a number of factors, the most important of which is the altitude of the detonation.
The term "electromagnetic pulse" generally excludes optical (infrared, visible, ultraviolet) and ionizing (such as X-ray and gamma radiation) ranges. In military terminology, a nuclear warhead detonated tens to hundreds of miles above the Earth's surface is known as a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) device. Effects of a HEMP device depend on factors including the altitude of the detonation, energy yield, gamma ray output, interactions with the Earth's magnetic field and electromagnetic shielding of targets.
See also
- Directed-energy weapon (DEW)
- Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC)
- Electromagnetic environment
- Electromagnetic hypersensitivity
- Electromagnetic pulse in fiction and popular culture
- Electromagnetism
- Electronic warfare
- Explosively pumped flux compression generator
- Faraday's law of induction
- Gamma ray burst
- Geomagnetic storm
- High-altitude nuclear explosion
- High-power microwave
- Marx generator
- Operation Fishbowl
- Pulsed power
- Soviet Project K nuclear tests
- Starfish Prime
- Ultrashort pulse
- Nuclear terrorism
