We usually think of the enrichment power of a centrifuge as fixed by its physical parameters. For a given gas, that of course is true. For enriching uranium hexafluoride, centrifuges with larger rotational speeds (the enrichment power of a centrifuge actually goes as the square of the peripheral speed) and longer rotor lengths have a …
Iran: Compliance in Defiance?
by | 2009-12-01 | 12 Comments
Warning: Even more speculative than usual. The Iranian government has spoken: in response to the the rebuke contained in Friday’s IAEA Board of Governors resolution, Iran has defiantly announced that it will build another ten enrichment facilities: “We had no plan to build many nuclear sites like [enrichment facility in the central city of] Natanz …
He-3 and Homeland Security, Part 1
by | 2009-11-30 | 17 Comments
A recent news article reporting the significant shortfall of He-3— a rare isotope of helium—has received an unfortunately small amount of attention. Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has planned on putting 1,400 He-3 based neutron detectors in ports around the world to scan cargo containers for nuclear weapons. Since the primary source of …
The Vienna-New York Two-Step
by | 2009-11-29 | 13 Comments
[Update. I’ve come to the conclusion that the first third of this post is in error, alas. I continue to differ with the view of the New York Times that the resolution is “largely symbolic” — so far, it looks pretty consequential for a symbol — and I don’t know what the Times means by …
