Assessing the impact of physicists on the development of new nuclear weapons

We present an analysis of the channels of influence of independent (non-governmental) scientists, particularly physicists, on US nuclear weapons policies. In particular, policies regarding new nuclear warhead production and deployment, and the major increase in plutonium weapon core ("plutonium pit") production. We focus on the role of physicists in organizations open to broad participation, and discuss how they have had impacts on recent federal government policy actions. More specifically, we examine recent relevant legislation, Congressional committee reports, and federal agency documents, and we assess policies that appear to have been influenced by the advocacy of independent scientists and organizations. We observe that critical review and input by independent physicists has had some impact on federal policies and practices in this domain, though measuring the degree of this impact is difficult. This serves as a case study for the roles of physicists in matters of significant public interest.