Radio waves and mirrors could help build trust between nuclear powers
An international team of scientists has devised an innovative method of using radio waves to monitor a nation’s nuclear stockpile remotely. Conducted by a team of IT security experts from Germany and the United States, it could be used to build trust between nuclear powers to ensure rivals are keeping their promises when it comes to agreed nuclear disarmament treaties. It could also be used to give a “heads up” if one particular nuclear power removes stored nuclear warheads, which could be an indication of intended use.
Remote nuke monitoring
The researchers imagined a scenario where State A could ensure the consistency of State B’s nuclear weapons stockpile without the need for constant on-site monitoring. “Seventy percent of the world’s nuclear weapons are kept in storage for military reserve or are awaiting dismantlement,” said Sebastien Philippe, an associate research scholar with Princetons’ School of Public and International Affairs’ (SPIA) Program on Science and Global Security.
“The presence and number of such weapons at any given site cannot be verified easily via satellite imagery or other means that [cannot] see into the storage vaults. Because of the difficulties to monitor them, these 9,000 nuclear weapons are not accounted for under existing nuclear arms control agreements,” he added.
Published in the journal Nature Communications, the paper proposes a solution that involves using two antennas to record a radio fingerprint of the room where the weapons are stored. One antenna emits a radio signal that bounces off the walls and objects in the room, while the other records the signal. Even a slight movement of an object in the room causes a noticeable change in the radio fingerprint. Therefore, significant changes like removing a stored nuclear warhead can be reliably detected.
To work, for State A to accurately monitor a room, State B must send the radio fingerprint at the exact time it is requested by the former. And therein lies a potentially severe problem. To confound State A, State B could send a fingerprint recording instead of a real-time signal. So, to prevent this, 20 mirrors could be installed in the room that are periodically rotated. That assumes, of course, that either state agrees to install the said system in the first place.
This causes the radio fingerprint to change depending on the position of the mirrors. During an initial on-site visit, State A would record the radio fingerprints for different mirror positions and store them in a secret database. Then, at periodic intervals, State A could remotely request that State B send the radio fingerprint for a specific mirror position. They would then compare the measured data with the records in their secret database. If the data do not match, it would indicate that there has been a change in the room.
“This new verification technology addresses a long-standing challenge and contributes to future diplomatic efforts that would seek to limit all nuclear weapon types,” Philippe said.
Building trust in uncertain times
To test their idea, the researchers at Ruhr University Bochum in Germany set up a container and placed movable barrels inside it. Then, they monitored the barrels using radio wave technology. They discovered that the radio fingerprints generated were unique for each mirror setting. Additionally, different mirror settings produced distinct radio fingerprints that could be easily identified. A slight displacement of a few millimeters in a barrel’s position was enough to cause a detectable change in the radio fingerprint.
“At a time of heightened geopolitical tensions and with a new nuclear arms race brewing, this work is particularly timely and relevant,” said Philippe.
Source: Interesting Engineering
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Radio waves and mirrors could help build trust between nuclear powers