Nuclear disarmament treaties are not sufficient in and of themselves to neutralize the existential threat of the nuclear weapons. Technologies are necessary for verifying the authenticity of the nuclear warheads undergoing dismantlement before counting them toward a treaty partner's obligation. Here we present a concept that leverages isotope-specific nuclear resonance phenomena to authenticate a warhead's fissile components by comparing them to a previously authenticated template. All information is encrypted in the physical domain in a manner that amounts to a physical zero-knowledge proof system. Using Monte Carlo simulations, the system is shown to reveal no isotopic or geometric information about the weapon, while readily detecting hoaxing attempts. This nuclear technique can dramatically increase the reach and trustworthiness of future nuclear disarmament treaties.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871754 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03680-4 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Unraveling the nuclear isotope tapestry: Applications, challenges, and future horizons in a dynamic landscape.
Eco Environ Health
June 2024
State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China.
Nuclear isotopes, distinct atoms characterized by varying neutron counts, have profoundly influenced a myriad of sectors, spanning from medical diagnostics and therapeutic interventions to energy production and defense strategies. Their multifaceted applications have been celebrated for catalyzing revolutionary breakthroughs, yet these advancements simultaneously introduce intricate challenges that warrant thorough investigation. These challenges encompass safety protocols, potential environmental detriments, and the complex geopolitical landscape surrounding nuclear proliferation and disarmament.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHomomorphic inference of deep neural networks for zero-knowledge verification of nuclear warheads.
Sci Rep
May 2023
Extreme Light Infrastructure-Nuclear Physics, Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania.
Disarmament treaties have been the driving force towards reducing the large nuclear stockpile assembled during the Cold War. Further efforts are built around verification protocols capable of authenticating nuclear warheads while preventing the disclosure of confidential information. This type of problem falls under the scope of zero-knowledge protocols, which aim at multiple parties agreeing on a statement without conveying any information beyond the statement itself.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSustaining social license: nuclear weapons and the art of legitimation.
Int Polit (Hague)
September 2022
Sciences Po, Paris, France.
Several observers have in recent years discussed the prospects for advancing arms control and disarmament through determined efforts at delegitimizing nuclear weapons. But surprisingly little attention has been devoted to the question of how nuclear weapons are legitimized in the first place. And while there is widespread agreement that struggles for legitimacy make up a pervasive feature of political life generally and nuclear politics specifically, available typologies of legitimation invariably comprise only a subset of the varied ways in which actors struggle to build or retain a social license to operate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImpact of industrial nuclear emissions on nuclear explosion monitoring.
J Environ Radioact
February 2023
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 902 Battelle Blvd., Richland, WA, 99354, USA. Electronic address:
In 1995, the development of a global radioactive xenon monitoring network was discussed in the Conference on Disarmament as part of a nuclear explosion verification regime. Discussions considered different network densities and different possible source magnitudes. The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was subsequently written to initially include 40 locations for noble gas (radioxenon) samplers, and to consider using a total of 80 locations for noble gas samplers in its International Monitoring System (IMS) after the treaty enters into force.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBeyond nuclear deterrence.
Science
October 2022
Stephen Herzog is a senior researcher in nuclear arms control at the Center for Security Studies of ETH Zurich, Switzerland, and an associate of the Project on Managing the Atom of the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Cambridge, MA, USA.
In October 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union squared off in what game theorist and Nobel laureate Thomas Schelling described as a nuclear game of "chicken" that threatened humanity's survival. The Cuban Missile Crisis spurred six decades of efforts to limit the spread of nuclear weapons and inspired a generation of scientists to think critically about reducing atomic risks. Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent nuclear threats during the war in Ukraine are an unambiguous reminder that such dangers have outlived the Cold War.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!