Sandia National Laboratories, in collaboration with Los Alamos and Lawrence Livermore national laboratories, as well as the Nevada National Security Site, is currently working on the development of Scorpius. This massive machine, spanning the length of a football field and located a thousand feet below ground, is being constructed to capture images of plutonium as it undergoes compression using high explosives, according to a press release.
Designing the injector responsible for creating these images has presented a significant engineering challenge for the team at Sandia National Laboratories. The project, which is estimated to cost $1.8 billion, is currently underway at the Nevada National Security Site. The captured images will replicate the conditions just prior to a nuclear explosion, providing valuable insights for national defense research.
"It's clear we need to know that the stockpile will work if required," said Jon Custer, Sandia National Laboratories project lead. "Before President Bush's testing moratorium in 1992, we knew it did since we were physically testing. Now we have computer codes. How well do they predict what really happens? Do we have accurate data we put into the codes? To answer these questions with higher fidelity, we need better experimental tools, and Scorpius is a major new experimental tool."
The Scorpius project has three main objectives. Firstly, it aims to assess the impact of aging on plutonium to ensure the ongoing reliability of the U.S. nuclear deterrent. Secondly, it seeks to demonstrate that modern weapon designs influenced by past tests are as effective, if not more so, than their predecessors. Lastly, Scorpius aims to align theoretical and physical processes to validate future weapon simulations. These subcritical tests will confirm that newly designed weapons, primarily reliant on supercomputer designs and potentially adapted for new materials and electronic advancements, will function effectively if deployed.
"We are looking forward to establishing this capability in 2027, conducting the first subcritical experiments using these new capabilities to support our nuclear deterrent and demonstrate once again our technical prowess as a nation," said Dave Funk, vice president for Enhanced Capabilities for Subcritical Experiments at the Nevada National Security Site.
The development of Scorpius represents a significant step forward in the field of national defense research. With its advanced capabilities and the insights it will provide, Scorpius aims to ensure the ongoing reliability and effectiveness of the U.S. nuclear deterrent.
