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Laser isotope separation (LIS) is an emerging technology that uses relatively small, widely-available lasers to achieve civilian or weapons grade concentration of fissile material to fuel nuclear reactions. To date only a few, limited proliferation risk analyses of LIS technology have been conducted. This paper provides a historically and technically informed update on the current state of LIS technology and it explains the high likelihood of increased global LIS adoption. The paper also explains how international rules governing nuclear energy are ill-equipped to handle such new technology. It traces the current limitations to broader issues in international relations theory, especially the incomplete accounts of the role of technology in the proliferation dynamic in the dominant neorealism and social construction of technology approaches. The paper introduces the concept of "international technology development structure," a framework for understanding how technology-related opportunities and constraints at the international system-level influence state nuclear weapons choices. The paper provides a thorough update of recent international laser innovations relevant to laser isotope separation and it explains how the spread of laser-related knowledge expands state nuclear options and influences their choices. The paper also provides a country-by-country update on LIS programs and it uses the example of Iran's laser isotope separation program to show how existing International Atomic Energy Agency efforts and export control approaches will be inadequate to addressing dual-use technologies such as LIS. It concludes by proposing a new course that links good standing in nuclear non-proliferation agreements to participation in the World Trade Organization, global conferences, and fundamental university research. Ultimately, the paper attempts to provide a comprehensive account of how emerging laser isotope separation technology presents non-proliferation challenges and it attempts to explore options for addressing this new period in technological achievement and change.
Originally published in 1983, this book presents both the technical and political information necessary to evaluate the emerging threat to world security posed by recent advances in uranium enrichment technology. Uranium enrichment has played a relatively quiet but important role in the history of efforts by a number of nations to acquire nuclear weapons and by a number of others to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons. For many years the uranium enrichment industry was dominated by a single method, gaseous diffusion, which was technically complex, extremely capital-intensive, and highly inefficient in its use of energy. As long as this remained true, only the richest and most technically advanced nations could afford to pursue the enrichment route to weapon acquisition. But during the 1970s this situation changed dramatically. Several new and far more accessible enrichment techniques were developed, stimulated largely by the anticipation of a rapidly growing demand for enrichment services by the world-wide nuclear power industry. This proliferation of new techniques, coupled with the subsequent contraction of the commercial market for enriched uranium, has created a situation in which uranium enrichment technology might well become the most important contributor to further nuclear weapon proliferation. Some of the issues addressed in this book are: A technical analysis of the most important enrichment techniques in a form that is relevant to analysis of proliferation risks; A detailed projection of the world demand for uranium enrichment services; A summary and critique of present institutional non-proliferation arrangements in the world enrichment industry, and An identification of the states most likely to pursue the enrichment route to acquisition of nuclear weapons.
The author focuses on the critical developments, technological in particular, which are currently posing a threat to the nuclear non-proliferation regime. Crucial technologies affecting nuclear weapon proliferation and their potential ramifications for the nuclear non-proliferation regimes as a whole are examined and potential policy options which could ameliorate or eliminate the resulting dangers are analysed and assessed. Developments and problems raised by the Iraqi and North Korean nuclear programmes receive special attention. In particular, recent efforts in strengthening export control regulations on nuclear and dual-use technology and equipment and in improving nuclear safeguards are described and their impact analysed. Of lasting relevance in the non-proliferation context, this book is of particular relevance in the light of the indefinite extension of the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
SILEX is a molecular isotope separation technique that takes advantage of the differing energies of molecular excitations between different isotopes of uranium. This process occurs within a jet of supersonic gas, the gas includes both uranium hexafluoride and a carrier gas, and reportedly allows for high separation factors relative to other isotope-separation processes. Industry interests have argued that it could be readily commercialized. This topic is of particular interest because laser isotope separation technology has seen an increase in interest and funding over the last decade. This suggests some study of the risks that such a technology poses to society may now be in order. To inform policymakers about the risks inherent to a particular enrichment technology, it is necessary to understand the theoretical underpinnings of the technology before one can analyze the impact of the technology. Positions expressed in the current literature are ill-informed and range from deep opposition, citing concerns that SILEX poses greater proliferation risk than centrifuge or gaseous diffusion technology, to claims by scientists that it is not possible to use the technology to produce greater than 50% enriched U-235. A rigorous and holistic view of the technology will better inform policy by improving the accuracy of claims and identifying realistic solutions to problems the technology may pose. This thesis will seek to provide this deeply technical and holistic analysis of the technology, and will use the results to interpret the economic and proliferation impact such a technology will have on the global nuclear enterprise. The holistic analysis in this thesis will present several important conclusions: 1) the enrichment factor of SILEX is not quite as large as proponents suggest; 2) asymmetric cascade designs will be required; 3) SILEX may not be cheaper than centrifuge facilities; 4) SILEX will not be viable without improvements in laser technology; and 5) international policies may be the most effective means of curtailing enrichment schemes like SILEX.
Inhaltsangabe:Abstract Peaceful and non-peaceful applications of nuclear technologies share a common fate: one cannot exist without the other. As the world is about to experience a nuclear renaissance, the nuclear industry has gone through a phase of consolidation. Despite more efficient intra-industry structures and technological advancements it will still not be able to close the increasing gap in energy demand to be expected in the near future. The economic attractiveness and relative absence of emissions still make atomic power an attractive candidate for an energy mix comprising several different clean technologies. A renewed interest in nuclear energy will at the same time demand for a robust non-proliferation framework as a safety-guarantee for the market. Export controls have been found to be an effective tool in this regard. The Zangger Committee as the legitimate interpreter of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Nuclear Suppliers Group representing the most influential countries in nuclear commerce have established a system of checks and balances that may not halt proliferation altogether, but which has managed to slow it down significantly. The effect of these control structures on the development of the nuclear market cannot be assessed directly. Political and security concerns particularly attributed to nuclear matters make their application a necessity for the existence of the commerce itself. Recent global efforts such as the United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1540 and 1673 are focusing on the implementation of common set of key elements for strategic trade controls. The success of these measures will have a direct impact on the sustainability of the nuclear renaissance Inhaltsverzeichnis:TABLE OF CONTENTS: Table of ContentsIII Table of IllustrationsVI List of AbbreviationsVII AbstractX Abstract in GermanXI PrefaceXII 1.Introduction1 1.1.General Situation - Mankind's Capacity to build1 1.2.Hypotheses & Methodology3 1.2.1.Problem statement3 1.2.2.Hypotheses3 1.2.3.Methodology4 1.2.4.Basic structural aspects5 2.The Nuclear Universe and its genesis6 2.1.Nuclear energy production6 2.1.1.Nuclear Fission technology7 2.1.2.Nuclear inconveniences9 2.1.3.Nuclear Fusion technology10 2.2.Nuclear power in the energy mix11 2.3.Military applications of nuclear technology13 2.3.1.Nuclear disarmament14 2.3.2.National security interests & nuclear arsenals16 3.Nuclear commerce and its market18 3.1.Nuclear [...]
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