New Technology, Old Challenges: Projecting Laser Enrichment's Impact on Nonproliferation

The door to the nuclear club swings open a little wider each time scientists discover new ways to produce fissile material. The nuclear nonproliferation regime must grapple today with laser isotope separation, a maturing new technology that has the potential to complicate existing strategies to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. Traditional large and energy intensive fissile material production facilities are more susceptible to remote detection and monitoring. Critics, however, warn that laser isotope separation technology threatens to tip the balance in favor of proliferators by allowing fissile material production to potentially go undetected. This paper examines the potential effect of laser enrichment technology on the nonproliferation regime and provides several recommendations for mitigating any proliferation risks.