Panel on Public Affairs Reports

Commissioned by the APS Panel on Public Affairs (POPA), these reports present technical assessments of areas of interest, such as climate, energy, national security, and more, to the physics community and policy decision makers. POPA reports succinctly review and assess policy issues to provide advice and actionable recommendations to Congress and federal government agencies. External experts on each report's topic provide peer review, and an editor approved by the POPA steering committee manages the review process. All POPA reports are approved by the APS Council.

To learn more about the process for generating POPA reports, please contact the Government Affairs team.

APS reponse to error in report "Ballistic Missile Defense: Threats and Challenges"

In May 2022, APS removed the POPA report titled "Ballistic Missile Defense: Threats and Challenges" after it was determined that Section 5 (Boost-Phase Intercept Systems) contained technical errors. The authors are currently working to correct the errors. An updated report will be reviewed by an external expert and approved by APS Council prior to posting.

Learn more through the announcement

Technical assessments and white papers

Prior to 2014, POPA oversaw a number of technical assessments and white papers on topics of relevance to the physics community. These documents reflect the views of the individual authors. The findings and recommendations do not necessarily represent the views of the APS Council or APS membership. They are available upon request. If interested, please contact the Government Affairs team.

• Renewing Licenses for the Nation’s Nuclear Power Plants (2013)
• A Technical Review: The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office Transformational and Applied Research Directorate R&D Program (2013)
• Elements report (2011)
• Integrating Renewable Electricity on the Grid (2010)
• Nuclear Weapons in 21st Century U.S. National Security (2008)
• Nuclear Forensics - Role, State of the Art, Program Needs (2008)
• Readiness of the U.S. Nuclear Workforce for 21st Century Challenges (2008)
• Consolidated Interim Storage of Commercial Spent Nuclear Fuel (2007)
• Challenges of Electricity Storage Technologies (2007)
• Nuclear Power and Proliferation Resistance (2004)
• The Moon-Mars Program (2004)
• The Modern PIT Facility (MPF) (2004)
• The Hydrogen Initiative (2004)
• Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Study (2003)
• The Current Energy Situation & Background Papers (1996)
• Background Paper in Support of the American Physical Society's Statement on Conservation of Helium (1996)