Particle-beam weapon
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Aparticle-beam weaponuses a high-energy beam of atomic orsubatomic particlesto damage the target by disrupting itsatomicand/ormolecularstructure. A particle-beam weapon is a type of space-baseddirected-energy weapon,which directs focused energy toward a target using atomic scale particles. Some particle-beam weapons have potential practical applications, e.g. as anantiballisticmissile defenseor detection system. They have been known by several names: particle accelerator guns,ioncannons,protonbeams, lightning rays,rayguns,etc.
The concept of particle-beam weapons comes from sound scientific principles and experiments. One process is to simplyoverheata target until it is no longer operational. However, after decades ofresearch and development,particle-beam weapons remain at the research stage, and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons.
Particle acceleratorsare a well-developed technology used in scientific research. They useelectromagnetic fieldsto accelerate and directcharged particlesalong a predetermined path, and amagnetic lenssystem to focus these streams on a target. Thecathode ray tubein many twentieth-century televisions and computer monitors is a very simple type ofparticle accelerator.More powerful versions includesynchrotronsandcyclotronsused in nuclear research. A particle-beam weapon is a weaponized version of this technology. It acceleratescharged particles(in most caseselectrons,positrons,protons,orionizedatoms, but very advanced versions can accelerate other particles such asmercurynuclei) to near-light speed and then directs them towards a target. The particles'kinetic energyis imparted to matter in the target, inducing near-instantaneous and catastrophicsuperheatingat the surface, and when penetrating deeper,ionizationeffects that can destroy electronics. However, many accelerators used forhigh-energy nuclear physicsare quite large (sometimes on the order of kilometers in length, such as theLHC), with highly constrained construction, operation, and maintenance requirements. If an accelerator is to be deployed in space, it has to be light-weight and robust.
Beam generation[edit]
Charged particle beams naturally diverge because of mutual repulsion, and are deflected by the earth’s magnetic field. Neutral particle beams (NPBs) can remain better focused, and are not subject to deflection by the earth’s magnetic field. Neutral particle beams are ionized, accelerated while ionized, then neutralized before leaving the device. Neutral beams also reduce spacecraft charging.
Cyclotron particle accelerators,linear particle accelerators,andsynchrotronparticle acceleratorscan accelerate negatively charged hydrogen ions until their velocity approaches thespeed of light.Each ion has a kinetic energy range of 100-1000+MeV.The resulting high-energy negative hydrogen ions can be electrically neutralized by stripping one electron per ion in a neutralizer cell.[1]This creates an electrically neutral beam of high energy hydrogen atoms, that can proceed in a straight line at near the speed of light to hit the target.
The beam emitted may contain 1+gigajouleofkinetic energy.The speed of a beam approachingthat of lightin combination with the energy deposited in the target was thought to negate any realistic defense. Target hardening through shielding or materials selection was thought to be impractical or ineffective in 1984,[2]especially if the beam could sustain full power and precise focus on the target.[3]Neutral particle beams with much lower beam power could also be used to detect nuclear weapons in space non-destructively.[4]
History[edit]
The U.S.Strategic Defense Initiativedeveloped a neutral particle beam system to be used as a weapon or a detector of nuclear weapons in outer space.[5]Neutral beam accelerator technology was developed atLos Alamos National Laboratory.A prototype NPB linear accelerator was launched aboard asuborbitalAries (rocket)in July 1989 as part of the Beam Experiments Aboard Rocket (BEAR) project.[6]It reached a maximum altitude of over 200 km, and successfully operated autonomously in space for before returning to earth intact. In 2006, the BEAR accelerator was transferred from Los Alamos to theSmithsonian Air and Space Museumin Washington, DC.[7]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^P. G. O'Shea; T. A. Butler; et al."The Bear Accelerator"(PDF).13th IEEE Particle Accelerator Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, 1989.
- ^Roberds, Richard M (July–August 1984),"Introducing the Particle-Beam Weapon",Air University Review,USA: Air Force, archived fromthe originalon 2012-04-17,retrieved2006-05-17.
- ^Neutral Particle Beam (NPB),Federation of American Scientists, 2005.
- ^NEUTRAL PARTICLE BEAM POPUP APPLICATIONS(PDF),Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1991.
- ^P. G. O'Shea; T. A. Butler; M. T. Lynch; K. F. McKenna; et al."A Linear Accelerator in Space – The Beam Experiment Aboard Rocket"(PDF).Proceedings of the Linear Accelerator Conference 1990, los Alamos National Laboratory.
- ^"'Star Wars' Beam Weapon Has Successful Space Test ".Los Angeles Times.July 18, 1989.
- ^"Neutral Particle Beam Accelerator, Beam Experiment Aboard Rocket".Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.Retrieved15 May2021.
