A nuclear weapon is detonated thousands of feet below ground on the other side of the globe.But that doesn't mean the test goes undetected.
A computer program that uses data from GPS satellite receivers placed in nearby countries pinpoints the explosion, uncovering the clandestine act.
But this is no spy movie. It's cutting-edge research at Ohio State University.
The new GPS nuclear-detection technology was presented yesterday at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization meeting in Vienna, where international investigators want more tools to better monitor secret nuclear tests. ...
In recent years, India, Pakistan and North Korea all have carried out nuclear tests. The United States, Russia and France, among others, also have tested nuclear bombs in the past.
When a nuclear weapon is detonated - even thousands of feet underground - a shockwave radiates in the atmosphere. This changes electron density in the field of charged particles in the part of the upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere.
Jihye Park, 30, a South Korea native and doctoral student in geodetic science at Ohio State, created the computer program using GPS data to detect this change in the ionosphere.
"The explosions can't hide from the ionosphere," von Frese said. "(This technology) happens to be another nail in the structure to detect explosions." ...
A computer program that uses data from GPS satellite receivers placed in nearby countries pinpoints the explosion, uncovering the clandestine act.
But this is no spy movie. It's cutting-edge research at Ohio State University.
The new GPS nuclear-detection technology was presented yesterday at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization meeting in Vienna, where international investigators want more tools to better monitor secret nuclear tests. ...
In recent years, India, Pakistan and North Korea all have carried out nuclear tests. The United States, Russia and France, among others, also have tested nuclear bombs in the past.
When a nuclear weapon is detonated - even thousands of feet underground - a shockwave radiates in the atmosphere. This changes electron density in the field of charged particles in the part of the upper atmosphere known as the ionosphere.
Jihye Park, 30, a South Korea native and doctoral student in geodetic science at Ohio State, created the computer program using GPS data to detect this change in the ionosphere.
"The explosions can't hide from the ionosphere," von Frese said. "(This technology) happens to be another nail in the structure to detect explosions." ...
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