Abstract Despite shrinking significantly at the end of the Cold War, the world nuclear weapon arsenals continue to represent a significant threat to humanity. About 14,000 nuclear weapons are still deployed or in reserve and other 700 intercontinental ballistic missiles are ready to be launched within minutes. Recent trends indicate the risks of nuclear war […]

Abstract The film Oppenheimer barely hints at the debate among the Manhattan Project physicists on “the impact of the Gadget on Civilization” and their efforts to influence the decision on using nuclear weapons against Japan. It also does not explain that Oppenheimer’s “trial” and termination as a government advisor was due to his opposition to […]

Colloquium Abstract  The world is in a precarious place right now and nuclear risk is higher than it has been in decades. The war in Ukraine has brought latent fears about nuclear war back to the surface. In recent years, the US has withdrawn from several arms control agreements that constrained US and Russian arsenals, and […]

Abstract The immense risks nuclear weapons pose to all humanity are still very much with us. The destructive power in the thousands of nuclear weapons in existence threaten human civilization as we know it. In fact, trends indicate the risks are acute and growing: hard-won arms control agreements are being abandoned, nuclear weapons-possessing states are […]

Abstract  Today’s nuclear arsenals pose enormous risks for all humanity. Many agreements that reduced the threat of nuclear weapons have been abandoned and we now face a new, multi-country nuclear arms race that could have devastating consequences. Enormous resources are being expended by the United States, Russia, China, and North Korea to deploy new nuclear weapons […]

This event has been cancelled. 

Abstract  The United States, Russia, and China are engaged in the early phases of a new nuclear arms race and Russia and NATO are engaged in a nuclear-tinged war in Ukraine. With the recent shredding of arms-control agreements, the arms races may proceed unfettered and could lead to unprecedented dangers to humanity. On the other […]

Abstract The deployment of thousands of nuclear weapons around the world creates a potential threat to civilization as we know it. This is a matter for physicists to address, not only because of the technical issues involved but also because of our community’s approaches to problem solving as well as our international reach, all within […]

Abstract After a long period of post-Cold War stability, the risks posed by nuclear weapons are increasing sharply, marked by the invasion of Ukraine, a nuclear generation of Russian nuclear weapons, expansion of China’s nuclear arsenal and tensions over Taiwan, missile testing by North Korea and uranium enrichment by Iran, and a major nuclear modernization […]

Abstract  After a long period of post-​Cold War stability, the risks posed by nuclear weapons are increasing sharply, marked by the invasion of Ukraine and a new generation of nuclear weapons being developed and deployed by Russia, China, and the United States. Physicists played an important role in nuclear debates during the Cold War; they […]