Los Alamos, Nevada Test Site team gathering data from important underground, non-critical weapons test
A joint Laboratory/Nevada Test Site team successfully fired the UNICORN subcritical test at the Nevada Test Site.
"Preliminary examination of UNICORN indicates that the test successfully returned all critical data," said Charles McMillan, associate director for weapons physics (ADWP). "A test such as UNICORN requires extraordinary focus at all stages, and I appreciate the team's efforts on behalf of the Laboratory, the NNSA, and the nation. Congratulations to all participants on the UNICORN team."
Subcritical experiments examine the behavior of plutonium as it is strongly shocked by forces produced by chemical high explosives. Subcritical experiments produce essential scientific data and technical information used to help maintain the safety and reliability of the nuclear weapons stockpile. The experiments are subcritical; that is, the quantity of plutonium used is below the so-called critical mass required for a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, thus, there is no nuclear explosion.
The experimental data from UNICORN will be used to inform and validate computer physics models so the models can be refined to provide more reliable physics predictions about detailed events that occur in nuclear weapon components - in this case supporting the W88 system and Los Alamos' fiscal year 2007 NNSA commitments.
This cycle of experiment, validation, and refining of computer models, is the bedrock scientific method underlying the success of the stockpile stewardship program. Therefore, the quality of the data from each round of testing is critically important.
Data from the test assembly are obtained from a variety of sophisticated sensors that collect information about the high explosive's performance, the velocity of moving surfaces, and on material released from the experiment, called ejecta, among other parameters.
UNICORN builds on several previous subcritical tests, including last February's test, named Krackatau.
