Countdown
Sarah Scoles
Bold Type Books, $30
The United States is working to update its old nuclear weapons collection. Physicists have mixed emotions about this and the future of nuclear weapons in general.
In Countdown, science writer Sarah Scoles interviews physicists at the national laboratories responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear collection, as well as researchers, activists, and others connected to that lab system. The researchers confront the legacy of their field’s most notorious invention and their roles as caretakers of the planet’s most devastating weapons (SN: 8/6/20).
According to Scoles' discussions, working on nuclear weapons involves embracing seemingly conflicting concepts. While the weapons promote peace by deterring countries from attacking each other, they also make it possible to destroy civilization. The researchers view their work — ranging from computer simulations of nuclear weapons to nonproliferation research — as necessary and even find beauty in it, but some also envision a world without these bombs.
The United States has not conducted nuclear weapon tests since the 1990s, when it signed the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (SN: 4/8/21). To maintain confidence in its approximately 3,700 nuclear weapons, the country plans to replace the deteriorating nuclear material at their cores. These bowling ball–sized pits are hollow spheres of plutonium that initiate the nuclear explosion when a bomb is detonated. Currently, the United States is grappling with its aging pits, but the goal is to produce 80 pits per year by 2030.
However, some activists oppose the pit production and other modernization efforts — the details of which are classified and thus unknown to the public. While advocates believe that updating the weapons is crucial to reinforce the deterrent, others think the deterrent is effective as is and are concerned that modernization could trigger a dangerous arms race.
Countdown also explores the history and culture of the national labs focused on nuclear work. Although some of it appears to be specific to that community — such as certain management changes — there is significant behind-the-scenes information. One scientist believes Los Alamos “is in a 1950s bubble,” expressing dissatisfaction with the lab’s apparent emphasis on the “cult of genius” — the outdated model in which a lone researcher revolutionizes a field. Scoles also recounts drama from decades ago, involving employees at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California rebelling against management through angry blog posts and at least one sarcastic limerick (SN: 6/6/22).
With clever attention to detail, Scoles adds moments of lightheartedness, highlighting the small absurdities surrounding this otherwise serious topic. (She meets a scientist at Los Alamos’ Hot Rocks Java Cafe, “a place whose name suggests the 1990s came up with it.”) The scientists’ passion for their field also shines through, such as the excitement that comes with harnessing plasma, a wild state of matter consisting of electrically charged particles.
At times, the book may leave the reader wanting more scientific details, which is perhaps unavoidable when dealing with a classified subject. Additionally, some topics are mentioned too briefly, making the discussion of quantum computing — a technology that may eventually be useful for simulating nuclear weapons — confusing.
Scoles emphasizes in the book how closely linked basic scientific research is with nuclear applications. The conditions in an atomic bomb resemble those found in other parts of the universe, such as exploding stars. This means that physicists studying fundamental aspects of the universe may unintentionally contribute to knowledge about nuclear weapons. Whether one likes it or not, physics and nuclear weapons are closely connected.
The scientists Scoles features hope that by gaining a better understanding of nuclear weapons, we can defend ourselves against them. One research team is working to enhance the detection of nuclear explosions, making it easier to confirm that other countries are not conducting tests. However, this knowledge could also help a government conceal its own tests from outside observation. Like much else in nuclear weapons research, there are two sides to consider.
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