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In nuclear physics, “critical mass” refers to the minimum amount of source material required in order to produce a self-sustaining chain reaction. It’s the difference between separate chunks of potent but relatively inert uranium or plutonium and a device capable of leveling cities. In fact, the payload of “Little Boy,” the first atomic bomb used in war, was little more than two pieces of uranium in a contraption designed to keep them away from each other -- until the desired moment.