First of all, this was a fascinating read! I agree that there are probably no triggerable runaway reactions beyond nuclear reactions.
I think the conclusion:
The answer appears to be no: there are no new more powerful explosions on the horizon… We can thus say with some confidence that the nuclear bomb was a one-off increase in our destructive capabilities.
Is a little flawed. Explosions / destructive capability do not necessarily need to involve runaway reactions. Off the top of my head, the ability to gather and store appreciable amounts of antimatter would certainly represent a significant increase in destructive energy density, even if it is “brute force”.
I would more agree with the conclusion that the nuclear bomb was probably a one-off jump in our destructive capabilities. Afterwards, our destructive capabilities would scale more smoothly with respect to our overall capabilities (as we are able to redirect heavier asteroids, produce more antimatter, etc.).
First of all, this was a fascinating read! I agree that there are probably no triggerable runaway reactions beyond nuclear reactions.
I think the conclusion:
Is a little flawed. Explosions / destructive capability do not necessarily need to involve runaway reactions. Off the top of my head, the ability to gather and store appreciable amounts of antimatter would certainly represent a significant increase in destructive energy density, even if it is “brute force”.
I would more agree with the conclusion that the nuclear bomb was probably a one-off jump in our destructive capabilities. Afterwards, our destructive capabilities would scale more smoothly with respect to our overall capabilities (as we are able to redirect heavier asteroids, produce more antimatter, etc.).