John Parmentola, "The gravity gradiometer as a verification tool," Science & Global Security, 2, no. 1, (1990): 43-57.
A gravity gradiometer is an incredibly sensitive device whose unit of measure is an eotvos, which is approximately equal to the gradient of the gravitational field produced by 10 grains (about 7.5 milligrams) of sand at a distance of 1 centimeter. We consider the gradiometer engineered by Draper Laboratories.1 Such a device could be used in portal-perimeter monitoring to detect gravitational effects produced by the mass distributions of shrouded containers or the contents of railcars and trucks moving through the portals or in observations of missiles to determine the number of warheads they carry or whether extraordinary shielding had been emplaced to block telltale emissions of nuclear radiation. It could also be used in some circumstances to distinguish non-nuclear cruise missiles from cruise missiles carrying nuclear weapons if measurements that used neutron or gamma-ray irradiation were considered too intrusive.
Article access: Taylor & Francis Online | Free PDF
Article access: Taylor & Francis Online | Free PDF
