databit - december 14, 2007
DIY Plasma weapon
This is the forum that seems to come closest to this topic, and I do not consider it fiction, so I wanted it under science.
How to make a plasma weapon.
Technology has reached a point where a rudimentary plasma weapon is possible. Designing it with today’s technology would require a weapon about the size of an entire tank and require a very large power source. Mobility of the weapon would be very limited due to these requirements and it would likely have to be a stationary weapon.
Required:
Large power source
Carbon pellets
Super conducting materials
Coolant system for superconductors
High powered microwave emitter
How it would work:
The weapon would consist of two major parts, the chamber and the barrel.
The weapon is primed by the insertion of a carbon pellet into the chamber that is held in the center of the chamber using diamagnetic levitation.
A high powered microwave emitter (MASER) is focused on the pellet which gains an electrical charge from the microwave energy.
The weapon is charged when the pellet becomes supercharged and reaches a plasma state.
To fire the weapon, the diamagnetic forces are focused to push the pellet from the chamber and into the barrel.
The barrel is a tubular chamber consisting of many superconducting electromagnets that operating in a series to expel the pellet from the barrel at a very high rate of speed (a la rail gun).
The chamber and the barrel would be insulated from allowing electrical discharge from the pellet, so the plasma ball should keep a steady amount of energy until it leaves the barrel. Upon exiting the barrel, the plasma ball will no longer be under the influence of the superconducting magnets or the insulating shielding. Momentum will mostly control the direction and speed of the plasma ball at this point, but accuracy could be diminished over a distance due to the nature of a plasma ball. Also, friction with air particles may cause a loss of electrons from the Plasma ball and thus some charge could be lost over a distance.
The target, upon being hit with the plasma ball would suffer heat burns as well as a massive electrical discharge. This would be particularly effective against electronic equipment.
It is a rudimentary plasma weapon, has limited range and accuracy, but I think it could be the introduction into plasma weapons.
This is also of my own design and based upon my personal knowledge of physics, so part or all of this could be incorrect, but I think the theory is fairly sound.
I will not be held responsible for any persons or nations that build this weapon as it is all based on currently available technology.
Databit
Eric