Dan L. Fenstermacher, "The effects of nuclear test-ban regimes on third-generation-weapon innovation," Science & Global Security, 1, no. 3-4, (1990): 187-223.
Under the rationale of assessing potential Soviet threats, several third-generation weapon concepts are being actively studied in the US. This paper presents a technical analysis of the physical principles and likely capabilities of three nuclear directed-energy concepts (x-ray lasers, nuclear kinetic-energy weapons, and microwave devices) and describes the implications for their development of threshold test bans at thresholds above and below 1 kiloton. Inertial Confinement Fusion, specialized non-nuclear weapon effects simulation, and seismically quiet containment vessels for low-yield tests may complicate arguments about the verifiability and long-term effectiveness of a test ban.
Article access: Taylor & Francis Online | Free PDF
Article access: Taylor & Francis Online | Free PDF
