Centrifuge May Be Superseded by Laser Enrichment

An anonymous reader writes "Australian scientists have discovered, after a decade of tests, a new way to enrich uranium for use in power plants." From the article: "There are at present only two methods for sifting uranium atoms, or isotopes, to create the right mix. One, called diffusion, involves forcing uranium through filters. Being lighter, U-235 passes through more easily and is thus separated from its heavier counterpart. The second method, widely adopted in the 1970s, uses centrifuges to spin the heavier and lighter atoms apart. Both, said Dr Goldsworthy, are 'very crude. You have to repeat the process over and over,' consuming enormous amounts of electricity. The spinning method requires 'thousands and thousands of centrifuges'."

Comments

Re:Centrifuges

[demachina]

"Deception and Agendas are aplenty, and we will not know whether or not you are right
for some time, but...consider Iran's step to withdraw from the non-proliferation treaty."

There certainly are and the U.S. and Israel engage in more deception and agendas than anyone.

As an interesting intellectual exercise people should actually read theNuclear Non Proliferation Treaty

One agenda is that Israel, Pakistan and India never signed the NPT in the first place so why are you not up in arms about THEIR complete absence of ANY oversight. Israel is believed to have developed hundreds of nuclear weapons, and they have credible delivery mechanisms so could probably easily incinerate Iran TODAY. Where is your outrage about Israel's actual nuclear weapons development versus the maybe someday that is Iran's nuclear program.

Pakistan is thought to have been the world's largest proliferater of nuclear technology especially through the A.Q. Khan ring and when this fact was discovered the U.S. took no action against them other than MAYBE shutting down the proliferation ring. Khan was basically pardoned and as a national hero of Pakistan is still free today.

Then of course there is the U.S. which has some real deception and agendas of its own. The nuclear weapons haves in the NPT didn't submit themselves to ANY international oversight of their nuclear programs. In the treaty the nuclear powers DID commit to nuclear disarmament, an end to the arms race and end to the development of new nuclear weapons. The U.S., especially the Bush administration, largely defiant of all those sections in the preamble. The U.S. is in fact developing new nuclear weapons under the Bush administration and may well unilaterally withdraw from the test ban treaty someday in order to test them unless someone comes to their senses or more moderate people get elected. The Bush administration is doing its best to provoke a new arms race not end them, unless maybe the end comes because the U.S. acquires such an enormous lead Russia and China give up. And probably the most disturbing "agenda" which leaves the NPT in tatters, the Bush administration is seriously talking about and is developing tactical nuclear weapons that it fully intends to actually use in conventional wars, unless someone stops them. In particular they want to use small nuclear devices to incinerate cave complexes and bunkers that are difficult to destroy with conventional explosives.

Where does it leave the NPT if the U.S. actually starts using nuclear weapons as a matter of routine in future wars.

Below are some of the interesting sections of the NPT, which aren't exactly in the articles of the treaty but are more preamble referring to things like the U.N. Charter.

Especially note this section referencing and affirming the U.N. Charter which the U.S. pretty much violates everytime it invades a sovereign country, Panama, Grenada, Iraq, or acts to overthrow sovereign governments. The U.S. also diverts more to armaments than the rest of the world combined:

"States must refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the United Nations, and that the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security are to be promoted with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources"

"Declaring their intention to achieve at the earliest possible date the cessation of the nuclear arms race and to undertake effective measures in the direction of nuclear disarmament, Urging the co-operation of all States in the attainment of this objective".

"Recalling the determination expressed by the Parties to the 1963 Treaty banning nuclear weapons tests in the atmosphere, in outer space and under water in its Preamble to seek to achieve the discontinuance of all test explosions of n