Livermore Laboratory Retirees Association

The speaker at our April luncheon will be Stephen Myers, Associate Program Leader for Nuclear Detonation Detection, LLNL

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LLNL contributions to US explosion monitoring capabilities and international verification

Explosion monitoring is a pillar in the international norm against conducting nuclear explosives tests, and that pillar is continually strengthened by basic research. LLNL research is used by both US and international monitoring organizations and LLNL experts support those organizations with technical expertise and guidance. This presentation will review LLNL’s long history of research into nuclear explosion monitoring topics, including how nuclear explosions generate signals that are observable at distance and how we infer source parameters from remotely detected signals. The presentation also summarizes current research using high-performance computing simulations and field scale experiments at NNSS to improve detection of low-yield explosions and determent whether a detonation was conducted in a chamber that could muffle signals.

Stephen Myers has over 28 years of experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as a research seismologist and program leader. He began serving as Associate Program Leader (APL) for Nuclear Detonation Detection in 2021, where he coordinates ground and spaced-based research efforts for nuclear explosion monitoring. Dr. Myers regularly supports the U.S. as a delegate to Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) meetings, and he recently began serving as Task Leader for Technology Refreshment at CTBTO Working Group B. Dr. Myers instructs emerging scientists in the international and domestic communities on topics of seismology and explosion monitoring, and he is the author of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications. He is a recognized world expert in seismic event location and development of seismological earth models. Dr. Myers is the recipient of the 2014 Department of Energy E. O. Lawrence Award for contributions to nuclear nonproliferation.