A Review of the Nuclear Weapon-Generated Electromagnetic Pulse and its Effects

Summary form only given. Like other spurious electromagentic fields, the electromagnetic fields generated by a nuclear weapon detonation represent a potential hazard to electronic systems. This paper reviews this hazard and describes various ways of overcoming it . First, the basic generation mecham.sms of the nuclear electromagnetic pulse (EMP) and the resulting fields are described. Several specific ways in which the EMF can interact with electronics systems are then discussed. Techniques are described which may either protect a system from the EMP or minimize the EMP effects. To insure the EMP invulnerability of complete systems, it is sometimes necessary to sllnulate an EMP environment for the system in proof tests. A review is made of some sllnulation facilities that are available now or will be available in the near future. Finally, a bibliography of reports dealing with various aspects of the EMP is given.