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)