“North Korea’s claim that it set off a hydrogen bomb on Wednesday — in what would be the fourth time it has tested a nuclear weapon since 2006 — has stirred concerns among governments around the world. Below is a brief primer on some of the central issues at stake.
“Q. How is a hydrogen bomb different from an atomic bomb?
“A. A hydrogen bomb, also known as a thermonuclear bomb, combines hydrogen isotopes under extremely high temperatures to form helium, in a process known as nuclear fusion.
“It is more powerful than a conventional atomic weapon: It uses the energy released from the combination of two light atomic nuclei, while an atomic bomb uses the energy released when a heavy atomic nucleus splits, a process known as nuclear fission.”
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