In his 1995 book '' Dark Sun : The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb '' , author Richard Rhodes describes in detail the internal components of the " Ivy Mike " '' Sausage '' device , based on information obtained from extensive interviews with the scientists and engineers who assembled it . According to Rhodes , the actual mechanism for the compression of the secondary was a combination of the radiation pressure , foam plasma pressure , and tamper-pusher ablation theories described above ; the radiation from the primary heated the polyethylene foam lining the casing to a plasma , which then re-radiated radiation into the secondary 's pusher , causing its surface to ablate and driving it inwards , compressing the secondary , igniting the sparkplug , and causing the fusion reaction . The general applicability of this principle is unclear
Ivy Mike
Ivy Mike
Thermonuclear weapon