Seminar Topics
Together with Experimentelle Physik III, Universität Dortmund, we have organised seminars "Science - Armament - Disarmament". These seminars were carried out at the Physics Department of Dortmund University. Students got credits valid for the Physics Diploma for physics-oriented talks.
The winter 1996/97 and 1997/98 seminar manuscripts (in German) were printed; a few copies are available at Experimentelle Physik III, Universität Dortmund, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany.
Seminar Physics, Armament and Disarmament
(Jürgen Altmann, Dieter Suter, Physics Department, Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany) - Winter 2005/06
Topics of Talks (by students, invited guests, organisers)
- Arms Control, Disarmament, Verification
- Non-lethal Weapons: Millimetre Waves, Continuous-wave and Pulsed Lasers
- Biological Weapons and their Disarmament
- Nuclear Weapons: Fission and Fusion Bombs
- Nuclear Weapons: Effects
- Nuclear Weapons: Late Consequences
- Nuclear Weapons: History, Decision to Use Them
- Preventive Arms Control
- Detection of Nuclear Explosions Using Radioisotopes in the Atmosphere
- Exemplary Case Responsibility (Group Discussion)
- Acoustic-seismic Vehicle Detection for the Verification of Disarmament and Peace Agreements
- Mine Detection Using Nuclear Quadrupole Resonance
- Atomic Trap Trace Analysis – Detection of Krypton-85 for the Detection of Covert Plutonium Production
Seminar Physics, Armament and Disarmament
(Jürgen Altmann, Dieter Suter, Physics Department, Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany) - Winter 2005/06
Topics of Talks (by students, invited guests, organisers)
- Atomic Bomb
- Effects of Nuclear Weapons
- Arms Control, Disarmament, Preventive Arms Control
- Oppenheimer, Teller, Sacharov
- B. Russell, World Peace, Russell-Einstein Manifesto
- Small Nuclear Weapons
- Ballistic Missile Defence
- The Decision for Dropping the Nuclear Bombs
- „Non-Lethal“ Weapons
- Quantum Computing – Military Research
- Mine Detection
- Laser Weapon
Seminar Physics, New Technologies and Disarmament
(Jürgen Altmann, Dieter Suter, Physics Department, Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany) - Winter 2000/01
Topics of Talks (by students, invited guests, organisers)
- Arms control - disarmament - preventive arms control (one of the organisers)
- Experiments for co-operative verification with acoustic and seismic sensors (guest from Bochum Verification Project)
- Microsystems technology: overview (invited guest)
- Production processes of microsystems technology (invited guest)
- Laboratory visit Microstructure Technology, Dept. Electrical Engineering
- Micro air vehicles: aerodynamics
- Micro air vehicles: system aspects
- Preventive arms control (one of the organisers)
- Nanotechnology: basics
- Nanotechnology: applications
- Military use of microsystem technology: dangers and limitation possibilities (one of the organisers)
- NQR detection of TNT for humanitarian demining (guest from TU Darmstadt)
- Conversion of research reactors to low-enriched uranium and the FRM II case (guest from TU Darmstadt)
Seminar Physics and Armament in History and Present
(Jürgen Altmann, Franz Fujara, Physics Department, Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany) - Winter 1998/9
Topics of Talks (by students, invited guests, organisers)
- Preventive arms limitations for new weapons technologies (one of the organisers)
- Acoustic weapons - a prospective assessment (one of the organisers)
- The German nuclear fission programme in World War II
- Radar - physics fundamentals and development in and after World War II
- Inertial navigation and guidance of ballistic missiles
- Production and propagation of acoustic and seismic waves - detection of military land vehicles (guest from Bochum Verification Project)
- The U.S. decision to drop the atomic bombs on Japan (one of the organisers)
- Introduction to nuclear quadrupole resonance
- Nuclear quadrupole resonance for the detection of explosives and mines (guest from Kaliningrad University, Russia)
- Connections between civilian and military high technologies in aviation (one of the organisers)
Seminar Science - Armament - Disarmament
(Jürgen Altmann, Franz Fujara, Physics Department, Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany)
Topics of Talks (by students, invited guests, organisers)
Winter 1997/8
- Optical aerial monitoring using multispectral classification (guest from CENSIS, Hamburg University)
- Production and propagation of acoustic and seismic waves - detection of military land vehicles (guest from Bochum Verification Project)
- What is to be done with the weapon material plutonium? Critical discussion of favoured and alternative options (guest from IANUS, Darmstadt Technical University)
- Aspects of critical peace pedagogics: disarmament in the "education correction facility" (guest from didactics publishing house)
- Satellites for verification and the Global Positioning System
- Status and perspectives of the present nuclear and conventional disarmament and arms control (guest from Hamburg Peace Research Institute)
- Detection of aircraft movements by acoustic and seismic sensors for securing peace (guest from Bochum Verification Project)
- Research stays in the USA: Cooperative Monitoring Centre, Albuquerque NM, and Cornell University, Ithaca NY (one of the organisers)
- Technologies of mine detection
- New technologies - the example of electromagnetic guns
- On the work and life of Wernher von Braun (one of the organisers)
- Video film: Science for peace - international verification experiment on German military air base (Bochum Verification Project)
Winter 1996/7
- Artificial radioactivity in the environment (guest from physics faculty)
- Transmutation of nuclear-weapon-capable material (guest from IANUS, Darmstadt Technical University)
- Magnetic vehicle detection for verification (guest from Bochum Verification Project)
- Nuclear tests and fall-out
- Conversion of military research and development
- Guidance systems for missiles
- Research for the use of sensors during peace-keeping operations of the UN (one of the organisers)
- Chemical weapons in the Vietnam war/the dioxine scandal of Boehringer Hamburg
- The decision of the International Court of Justice on nuclear weapons (guest from international-law institute)
- Nuclear weapons
- Detection of anti-personnel mines
- Rockets and their development, the V-2 project
- Electromagnetic pulses as weapons
- Experiences and work of a physicist doing research for disarmament (guest from Bochum Verification Project)
- Mine detection and clearing (guest from firm producing detection equipment)
Winter 1995/6
- Aspects of critical peace research (guest from didactics publishing house)
- Disarmament and arms control (one of the organisers)
- The atomic bomb
- The fusion bomb
- Consequences of the use of nuclear weapons
- Nuclear tests and test ban
- Ballistic missiles and missile technology
- Biological and chemical weapons
- Fritz Haber and Clara Immerwahr
- Technology in the Gulf War and present weapons development
- Laser blinding weapons
- "Non-lethal" weapons - fancy or chance of more humane use of force? (guest from Bochum University)
- Transmutation of nuclear-weapons usable material (guest from IANUS, Technical University Darmstadt)
- The planned Garching research reactor FRM-II (one of the organisers)