Editing Ted Taylor (physicist) (section)

==Publications and other works==
Ted Taylor was an accomplished author in the latter part of his career. He worked in cooperation with many specialists in other fields to publish his work on anti-nuclear proliferation and sustainable nuclear energy. Perhaps the greatest fear that propelled Taylor to work so fervently in these areas was the realization that the consequences of nuclear material ending up in the wrong hands could be severe.<ref name=":0"/>

''Nuclear Theft: Risks and Safeguards'' is a book Taylor wrote in collaboration with [[Mason Willrich]] in the 1970s.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.issuelab.org/resource/nuclear-theft-risks-and-safeguards.html|title=Nuclear Theft: Risks and Safeguards|access-date=2018-04-19|language=en-CA}}</ref> According to reviews, the book predicted a future where nuclear energy was the primary energy source in the United States, and therefore needed enhanced protective measures to protect the public.<ref name=":5">{{cite journal|last=Quester|first=George H.|date=1975|title=Review of Nuclear Theft: Risks and Safeguards|jstor=2148706|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=90|issue=1|pages=136–138|doi=10.2307/2148706}}</ref> In the book, Taylor and Willrich provide multiple recommendations on ways to prevent nuclear material from ending up in the wrong hands, as they anticipated that there would be multiple more sources of nuclear byproducts and therefore more opportunity for nuclear theft.<ref name=":5"/> This book likely was a culmination of much of Ted's work in the field, as he often toured nuclear reactor sites and provided insight on potential weak points in their security measures.<ref name=":0"/>

Taylor also co-authored the book ''The Restoration of the Earth'' with [[Charles C. Humpstone]]. According to reviews, the book focused on techniques to enhance [[sustainability]] and expanded on different sources of energy that could be used alternatively to meet the power needs of the earth.<ref name=":6">{{cite book|title=The restoration of the earth|last=results|first=search|date=1973|publisher=Harper & Row|isbn=9780060142315|edition= 1st|location=New York|language=en}}</ref> This book was also a culmination of his focus on nuclear security and the ramifications of the use of nuclear weaponry.<ref name=":6"/> In it he addressed the potential effects of [[nuclear fallout]] on the environment.<ref name=":6"/> This 1973 hardcover discussed potential sources of energy in 2000, along with the conceptualization of safer alternatives to the methods of acquiring nuclear energy that were available at the time.<ref name=":6"/> In fact, Taylor indirectly referenced a concept for a nuclear reactor which is inherently similar to a reactor that he patented in 1964.<ref name=":6"/> Taylor spent much of his time studying the risk potential of the nuclear power fuel cycle after learning about the detrimental effects that his nuclear weapons had on the environment, so he sought to explore new opportunities for safer use of nuclear power.<ref name=":6"/> In his writing, Taylor argued that the most dangerous and devastating events that could possibly occur during nuclear research would most likely happen at reactors that are incapable of running efficiently and maintaining a safe temperature.<ref name=":6"/> Taylor went on to state that the prioritization of safety in nuclear reactors is relatively low compared to how it should be, and that if one were to create a nuclear reactor with the capability of cooling down—without the initiation of a fission reaction—then efforts at harvesting nuclear energy would be more incentivized and exponentially safer.<ref name=":6"/>

Taylor also wrote the book ''Nuclear Proliferation: Motivations, Capabilities and Strategies for Control'' with Harold Feiveson and Ted Greenwood.<ref name=":7">{{cite journal|date=1977-01-01|title=Nuclear proliferation: motivations, capabilities, and strategies for control|language=en|osti=7286490|last1=Greenwood |first1=T. |last2=Feiveson |first2=H. A. |last3=Taylor |first3=T. B. }}</ref> The book explains the two most dangerous mechanisms by which nuclear proliferation could be devastating for the world, as well as how to disincentivize nuclear proliferation within destabilizing political systems.<ref name=":7"/>

Taylor further collaborated with [[George Gamow]] on a study called, "What the World Needs Is a Good Two-Kiloton Bomb", which investigated the concept of small nuclear artillery weapons.<ref name=":1"/> This paper reflected another shift in Taylor's beliefs about nuclear weapons. He had changed from his deterrent position to a position that sought to develop small yield nuclear weapons that could target specific areas and minimize collateral damage.<ref name=":0"/>

Taylor was not only involved in the publication of the aforementioned books, but he, along with a few of his colleagues, was also responsible for a number of patents involving nuclear physics. Taylor is credited with patenting a nuclear reactor with a prompt negative temperature coefficient and fuel element, along with a patent protecting their discovery of an efficient method of producing isotopes from thermonuclear explosions.<ref name=":8">{{Citation|title=Production of isotopes from thermonuclear explosions|date=1959-04-21|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3331744A/en|access-date=2018-04-19}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Citation|title=Reactor with prompt negative temperature|date=1964-03-31|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3127325A/en|access-date=2018-04-20}}</ref> The patent concerning the production of isotopes from thermonuclear explosions was groundbreaking because of its efficiency and cost effectiveness.<ref name=":8"/> It also provides a means for attaining necessary elements that otherwise are difficult to find in nature.<ref name=":8"/> Prior to this discovery, the cost per neutron in a nuclear reaction was relatively high.<ref name=":8"/> The patent concerning the prompt negative temperature coefficient was groundbreaking because it provided a markedly safer reactor even in the event of misuse.<ref name=":9"/> With the negative temperature coefficient, the reactor can mitigate sudden surges of reactivity propelled into the system.<ref name=":9"/> These patented realizations would later become vital components in the future of nuclear technology.

''The Curve of Binding Energy'', by [[John McPhee]], is written primarily about the life of Theodore Taylor, as he and McPhee traveled together quite often—spending a great deal of time with one another.<ref name=":0"/> It is evident that during their time together, McPhee was very inclined to learn from Taylor.<ref name=":0"/> Many of Taylor's personal opinions regarding nuclear energy and safety are mentioned throughout McPhee's writing.<ref name=":0"/> McPhee voices one of Taylor's bigger concerns in particular—that plutonium can be devastating if left in the wrong hands.<ref name=":0"/> According to McPhee, Taylor suspected that if plutonium were to be acquired by someone with ill-intentions and handled improperly, the aftermath could be catastrophic—as plutonium is a rather volatile element and can be lethal for anyone within hundreds of miles.<ref name=":0"/> This clearly can be avoided, Taylor suggests, if nuclear reactors are protected and all sources of nuclear fuel elements are heavily guarded.<ref name=":0"/> The book would inspire Princeton student [[John Aristotle Phillips]], and several other imitators, to prove Taylor's contention that "anyone" could design a plausible nuclear weapon using declassified and public information.