A new conceptual study suggests a way to detect nuclear weapons in orbit to ensure that countries are following the Outer Space Treaty.

一項新的概念研究提出了一種偵測軌道上核武的方法，以確保各國遵循《外層空間條約》。

The Outer Space Treaty (OST) is an agreement signed by 118 nations, including the US, Russia, and China, which forbids placing weapons of mass destruction in space. However, the treaty is weakened because there is no official system to verify if countries are actually obeying the rules. This problem is particularly concerning now, as the US government has claimed that Russia might be developing nuclear-armed anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons. If such weapons were used, they would likely cause massive damage to satellite systems in low Earth orbit.

《外層空間條約》（OST）是由包括美國、俄羅斯與中國在內的 118 個國家簽署的協議，禁止在太空放置大規模殺傷性武器。然而，由於缺乏正式系統來驗證各國是否確實遵守規則，該條約的效力因此被削弱。這個問題在目前尤為令人擔憂，因為美國政府聲稱俄羅斯可能正在開發核武反衛星（ASAT）武器。如果此類武器被使用，可能會對近地軌道的衛星系統造成巨大損害。

To solve this problem, a study published in Nature by Danagoulian proposes a detection system based on observing neutron emissions. These emissions happen when high-energy protons in the Van Allen radiation belts interact with nuclear materials. The researcher suggests using a small satellite, known as a 9U-CubeSat, to identify a nuclear weapon from a distance of 4 kilometers within seven days. Consequently, using these 'inspector' satellites would allow the international community to move from a system based on trust to one based on reliable technical surveillance.

為了縮小這個差距，Danagoulian 在《自然》（Nature）期刊上發表的一項研究提出了一套基於觀測中子發射的偵測系統。當范艾倫輻射帶中的高能質子與核物質相互作用時，就會產生這些發射。研究人員建議使用一種稱為 9U-CubeSat 的小型衛星，在七天內從 4 公里距離識別出核武器。因此，使用這些「巡視」衛星將使國際社會從基於信任的系統，轉向基於可靠技術監測的系統。

The study offers a theoretical way to monitor whether countries are complying with the OST by using neutron detection.

該研究提供了一種理論方法，透過偵測中子來監控各國是否遵守《外層空間條約》。