Unmaking the Bomb:The Science &Technology of Nuclear Nonproliferation, Disarmament, and Verification

Nuclear weapons have re-emerged as one of the main global security challenges of our time. Reducing the dangers posed by these weapons requirse new verification technologies, and this course covers the relevant science and technology to understand and support such efforts. In the first half of the semester, we examine the fundamental principles of nuclear fission, nuclear radiation, and radiation detection. As part of hands-on final projects in the second half of the semester, teams of students prototype and benchmark inspection systems and test them during a joint verification exercise.