An overview of the on-site inspection measurements from the non-proliferation experiment

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:96011

Zucca, J J ^[1]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)

An on-site inspection (OSI) is an in-person visit to site to collect data and examine evidence in order to determine the source of an ambiguous event detected via remote monitoring systems or other measures. Its purpose is to determine whether the treaty has been violated, to deter violations, and to build confidence. At the time of this writing, it is anticipated that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) being developed in the Conference on Disarmament will contain OSI provisions. In an era of testing moratoria, the Non-Proliferation Experiment (NPE) provided a unique opportunity to investigate candidate OSI techniques. On site inspections could occur in three different contexts: after-the-fact inspections based on information from remote monitoring systems; inspections prior to, during, and after large declared chemical explosions (e.g., a large mining explosion); continuous monitoring inspections with unattended sensors at certain agreed-upon sites (e.g., previous test sites). OSI monitoring techniques need to be designed to detect the phenomena and residual effects of nuclear explosions. In the underground case, the primary effects of interest for OSI are the electromagnetic pulse, shock waves, aftershocks, radioactive gas, rubble zone, and apical void. These effects are well known and the basic techniques for their detection well established. We designed our measurement program for the NPE to answer specific issues about these detection technologies. Our measurement program includes the following: zerotime electromagnetic measurements; seismic aftershock survey; before and after electrical soundings; gas tracers introduced into the explosive; before and after multispectral overhead imagery from low-flying aircraft; before and after geological surveys.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)
• OSTI ID: 96011
• Report Number(s): CONF-9404100--; ON: DE95011413
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

35 ARMS CONTROL
45 MILITARY TECHNOLOGY, WEAPONRY, AND NATIONAL DEFENSE
AFTERSHOCKS
AMMONIUM NITRATES
CHEMICAL EXPLOSIONS
DETONATIONS
FUEL OILS
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
NON-PROLIFERATION TREATY
NUCLEAR EXPLOSION DETECTION
ON-SITE INSPECTION
SEISMIC DETECTORS
SEISMIC WAVES
TRACER TECHNIQUES
UNDERGROUND EXPLOSIONS
VERIFICATION