1st Edition
The Nuclear Precipice The History and Control of Nuclear Weapons
Topic I: Life on the Nuclear Precipice
1. Why Are Nuclear Weapons Different from Other Weapons?
2. The Nuclear Precipice in the Arts
Topic II: The History of Nuclear Weapons Development
3. Prelude to the Manhattan Project
4. The Manhattan Project and the End of WW2
5. Developments after World War 2
6. Nuclear Designs, Testing, and Safety
Topic III: Physics of Nuclear Weapons Effects
7. Fireball, Blast and Thermal Effects
8. Prompt Radiation and Fallout
9. Nuclear Effects in Space
Topic IV: Weapons Production, Nuclear Warfare, and the Cold War
10. SNM Production and the Nuclear Weapons Complex
11. Nuclear Warfare Concepts: Atomic Weapons
12. Production and Deployment of Thermonuclear Weapons
13. Resilience and Declaratory Policy
Topic V: Arms Control, Treaties, and Disarmament
14. Arms Control Activities: 1950–1980
15. Arms Control Treaties and Disarmament (1980–Present)
Topic VI: Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Safeguards and Forensics
16. The NPT and Nuclear Terrorism
17. Why Countries Proliferate — France, Israel, and South Africa
18. The Indo–Pakistani Arms Race and Other Proliferators
19. International and Domestic Safeguards
20. Nuclear Forensics
Topic VII: Current Status of Nuclear Weapons
21. Upgrades of Nuclear Capabilities
22. Supporting Weapons Upgrades, SNM Production and Other Technologies
23. The Future of Nuclear Deterrence in a Multi-Polar World
Topic VIII: Emerging Directions
24. Environmental Impacts of Developing Nuclear Weapons
25. Arms Control in the Future
26. New Delivery and Defense Systems
27. Summary Assignments
Biography
William A. Barletta is Adjunct Professor of Physics (ret.) at MIT, Editor-in-Chief of Physics Open, and a Foreign Member of the Academy of Sciences of the Bologna Institute in Italy. His current research interests are the history, technology and control of nuclear weapons and emerging planetary emergencies.
