{"id":{"repo_id":"mit","oai_identifier":"oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/106698"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/mit/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/106698","repository":{"repo_id":"mit","name":"MIT","base_url":"https://dspace.mit.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Data processing and inference methods for zero knowledge nuclear disarmament","abstract":"It is hoped that future nuclear arms control treaties will call for the dismantlement of stored nuclear warheads. To make the authenticated decommissioning of nuclear weapons agreeable, methods must be developed to validate the structure and composition of nuclear warheads without it being possible to gain knowledge about these attributes. Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) imaging potentially enables the physically-encrypted verification of nuclear weapons in a manner that would meet treaty requirements. This thesis examines the physics behind NRF, develops tools for processing resonance data, establishes methodologies for simulating information gain during warhead verification, and tests potential inference processes. The influence of several inference parameters are characterized, and success is shown in predicting the properties of an encrypting foil and the thickness of a warhead in a one-dimensional verification scenario.","abstract_html":"It is hoped that future nuclear arms control treaties will call for the dismantlement of stored nuclear warheads. To make the authenticated decommissioning of nuclear weapons agreeable, methods must be developed to validate the structure and composition of nuclear warheads without it being possible to gain knowledge about these attributes. Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) imaging potentially enables the physically-encrypted verification of nuclear weapons in a manner that would meet treaty requirements. This thesis examines the physics behind NRF, develops tools for processing resonance data, establishes methodologies for simulating information gain during warhead verification, and tests potential inference processes. The influence of several inference parameters are characterized, and success is shown in predicting the properties of an encrypting foil and the thickness of a warhead in a one-dimensional verification scenario.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["DeMaio, William (William Aloysius)"],"institution":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering.","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["R. Scott Kemp."],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016","date_published":"2016","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:16Z","subjects":["Nuclear Science and Engineering."],"languages":["eng"],"rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"rights_urls":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106698","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["R. Scott Kemp."]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 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They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106698"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2016.","This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.","Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 63-64)."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["It is hoped that future nuclear arms control treaties will call for the dismantlement of stored nuclear warheads. To make the authenticated decommissioning of nuclear weapons agreeable, methods must be developed to validate the structure and composition of nuclear warheads without it being possible to gain knowledge about these attributes. Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) imaging potentially enables the physically-encrypted verification of nuclear weapons in a manner that would meet treaty requirements. This thesis examines the physics behind NRF, develops tools for processing resonance data, establishes methodologies for simulating information gain during warhead verification, and tests potential inference processes. The influence of several inference parameters are characterized, and success is shown in predicting the properties of an encrypting foil and the thickness of a warhead in a one-dimensional verification scenario."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["S.B."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Data processing and inference methods for zero knowledge nuclear disarmament"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["R. Scott Kemp."],"dc:contributor.department":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering."],"dc:contributor.other":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering."],"dc:creator":["DeMaio, William (William Aloysius)"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2017-01-30T18:51:08Z"],"dc:date.available":["2017-01-30T18:51:08Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2016"],"dc:description":["Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2016.","This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.","Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.","Includes bibliographical references (pages 63-64)."],"dc:description.abstract":["It is hoped that future nuclear arms control treaties will call for the dismantlement of stored nuclear warheads. To make the authenticated decommissioning of nuclear weapons agreeable, methods must be developed to validate the structure and composition of nuclear warheads without it being possible to gain knowledge about these attributes. Nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF) imaging potentially enables the physically-encrypted verification of nuclear weapons in a manner that would meet treaty requirements. This thesis examines the physics behind NRF, develops tools for processing resonance data, establishes methodologies for simulating information gain during warhead verification, and tests potential inference processes. The influence of several inference parameters are characterized, and success is shown in predicting the properties of an encrypting foil and the thickness of a warhead in a one-dimensional verification scenario."],"dc:description.degree":["S.B."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/106698"],"dc:language.iso":["eng"],"dc:publisher":["Massachusetts Institute of Technology"],"dc:rights":["MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission."],"dc:rights.uri":["http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582"],"dc:subject":["Nuclear Science and Engineering."],"dc:title":["Data processing and inference methods for zero knowledge nuclear disarmament"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:16Z"}