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Bochum Verification Project

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)