Bonn 2010 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Downloads | Help

AGA: Arbeitsgruppe Physik und Abrüstung

AGA 1: New Technologies, Verification

AGA 1.2: Talk

Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 15:00–15:30, JUR D

Infrasound Detections from the International Monitoring System — •Bharath Gopalaswamy — Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

In this current work, the potential of the international monitoring system's (IMS) infrasound network to detect rocket launches is investigated. The IMS is a network of monitoring sensors, which search for, detect and provide evidence of nuclear explosions to State Parties for the verification of the nuclear Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). As a typical rocket infrasound signal is in the 0.1-1 Hz frequency range and as the mean spacing between the IMS stations is 2500 km on land and 4500 km in the oceans, almost all the cases to be studied will be in the acoustic far field. The detection of infrasound from rockets primarily depends on three different factors:

1. The local noise conditions at the site of the receiver 2. The propagation conditions between the source and the receiver 3. Source Characterization

Investigations are being carried out based on open source reports of rocket launch times and the classes of rockets launched. These will help in the search for signals at various IMS infrasound stations and in assessing the capability of the current IMS. Apart from the rocket launch detection signals various infrasound signals obtained at I31 KZ are also presented, which also show the effects of atmospheric conditions for infrasonic propagation.