Saturday, February 11, 2017

Nuclear weapon caused EMP over a nation

The mechanism for a 400 km high-altitude burst EMP: gamma rays hit the atmosphere between 20–40 km altitude, ejecting electrons which are then deflected sideways by the Earth's magnetic field. This makes the electrons radiate EMP over a massive area. Because of the curvature and downward tilt of Earth's magnetic field over the USA, the maximum EMP occurs south of the detonation and the minimum occurs to the north.[19]
E1 is produced when gamma radiation from the nuclear detonation ionizes (strips electrons from) atoms in the upper atmosphere. This is known as the Compton effect and the resulting current is called the "Compton current". The electrons travel in a generally downward direction at relativistic speeds (more than 90 percent of the speed of light). In the absence of a magnetic field, this would produce a large, radial pulse of electric current propagating outward from the burst location confined to the source region (the region over which the gamma photons are attenuated). The Earth's magnetic field deflects the electron flow at a right angle to the field, leading to synchrotron radiation emitted by the electrons. Because the outward traveling gamma pulse is propagating at the speed of light, the synchrotron radiation of the Compton electrons adds coherently, leading to a radiated electromagnetic signal. This interaction produces a very large, but very brief, electromagnetic pulse over the affected area.[20]

end partial quote from:
Nuclear electromagnetic pulse 

I studied about all this in college and after, (of course I'm the generation from the 1950s in school that was told to crawl under our desks to face a nuclear blast, so because of that the more I knewabout what nuclear weapons do the safer I felt as a child and young adult then and now.

So, the graph shows the radiation because of the nature of our magnetic fields here on earth spreads south from the detonation point which would be 20 to 100 miles in space. I was told in the 1960s and 1970s that any people within 12 feet of anything metal would die from a lightning bolt like effect. so it is possible only people away from any metal would be burn free. However, as I thought about it more I also realized that cars and trucks and planes are natural Faraday Cages that protect the occupants from lightning strikes often. So, I think you must consider this too as a possibility so I'm not really sure what would happen because this situation has never occurred on Earth (at least in this time line).

When I wrote
 

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