Our publications
Journal articles
Reconstruction of fallout deposition from U.S. atmospheric nuclear tests conducted in New Mexico and Nevada
Sébastien Philippe, Susan L. Alzner, Gilbert P. Compo, Mason Grimshaw & Megan J. Smith
Scientific Reports · 2026
We reconstruct radioactive fallout from 94 U.S. atmospheric nuclear tests conducted between 1945 and 1962, including the Trinity test, and map its deposition across the continental United States.
Uranium in cobalt-hydroxide exports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Ryan Manzuk & Sébastien Philippe, Nature Communications, 2026
We estimate historical uranium exports embedded in cobalt-hydroxide shipments from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and examine the implications for nuclear safeguards and the global cobalt supply chain.
Consequence Analysis of Major Fires at Plutonium Pit Production Facilities
Raven Witherspoon, Svitlana Lavrenciuc & Sébastien Philippe, Science & Global Security, 2026
We model the radiological consequences of major fires at U.S. plutonium pit production facilities and estimate their potential health and environmental impacts on surrounding communities.
Distinction Without a Difference: The UK Shift from Population to Leadership Nuclear Targeting
Steve Fetter & Sébastien Philippe, Security Studies, 2026
We examine the United Kingdom’s shift from population to leadership targeting and assess whether the change meaningfully reduces the potential consequences of nuclear use.
Conference proceedings
Evaluating the Effects of a Nuclear Detonation in Low Earth Orbit
Zachary Petersen, Tristan Lockert & Sébastien Philippe, Institute for Nuclear Materials Management Annual Meeting, 2026
We model the effects of a nuclear detonation in low Earth orbit on satellites and the space environment, including the formation of artificial radiation belts and their impact on spacecraft.
2nd Place, J.D. Williams Student Paper Competition
The risk of nuclear war has returned really seriously since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The worldwide stockpile peaked in the 1980s at about 64,000 nuclear weapons. Today we still have about 12,000.
about evident
Independent research and new technologies to understand and reduce the risks posed by nuclear weapons.
Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics
University of Wisconsin–Madison
Supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, MacArthur Foundation, PAX sapiens, Longview Philanthropy, and the Ploughshares Fund.