particle beam

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A particle beam is an accelerated stream of charged particles or neutrons (often moving at very near the speed of light) which may be directed by magnets and focused by electrostatic lenses, although they may also be self-focusing (see Pinch).

Subatomic particles such as electrons, positrons, and protons can be accelerated to high velocities and energies, usually expressed in terms of center-of-mass energy, by machines that impart energy to the particles in small stages or nudges, ultimately achieving very high energy particle beams, measured in terms of billions and even trillions of electron volts. Thus, in terms of their scale, particles can be made to perform as powerful missiles for bombarding other particles in a target substance or for colliding with each other as they assume intersecting orbits.

High energy beams are created in particle accelerators, in which a charged particle is drawn forward by an electrostatic (not magnetic) field with a charge opposite to the particle (like charges repel one another, opposites attract); as the particle passes the source of each field, the charge of the field is reversed so that the particle is now pushed on to another field source. Through a series of fields in sequence, the particle accelerates until it is moving at a high speed. A natural analogy to particle beams is lightning, where electrons flow from negatively charged clouds to positively charged clouds or the earth.

Low and medium energy beams are quite common. Traditional cathode-ray tube televisions and computer displays use them to scan out each image, and some radiation therapy methods use them to treat cancer.

Particle beams as weapons

Though particle beams are perhaps most famously employed as weapon systems in science fiction, the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency started work on particle beam weapons as early as 1958^[1] , two years before the first scientific demonstration of lasers. The general idea of particle-beam weaponry is to hit a target object with a stream of accelerated particles moving at near the speed of light and therefore carrying tremendous kinetic energy; the particles transfer their kinetic energy to the atoms in the molecules of the target upon striking, much as a cue ball transfers its energy to the racked balls in billiards, thus exciting the target's atoms and superheating the target object in a short time, leading to explosion either of the surface layer or the interior of the target. Currently, the materials for such weapons are "high-risk" and may not be developed for some time^[1].

The power needed to project a high-powered beam of this kind surpasses the production capabilities of any standard battlefield powerplant, thus such weapons are not anticipated to be produced in any near time. Particle beams could possibly be used from fixed locations, or in space, for example as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative (dubbed "Star Wars") or similar initiatives, but the problems related to power source still stand at present, pending future development in that field.

In fiction

In the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy III, Particle Beam is the signature attack of the final boss, Cloud of Darkness. It also appears as her EX Burst in Dissidia: Final Fantasy.

In the Nintendo Gamecube videogame series Metroid Prime, in-game 'scans' of creatures or machines may reveal some are equipped with particle beam weaponry.

In the BattleTech game universe, there is a weapon called a PPC, or Particle Projection Cannon. When fired, it releases charged particles at high speeds that inflict kinetic, thermal and electrical damage.

In the PC and console game F.E.A.R., the Type-7 Particle weapon fires a high-velocity purple beam that vaporizes a human except for bone material, and includes a digital scope that displays distance in meters. It has the drawbacks of low magazine capacity, low ROF, rare ammunition, and heavy weight.

In the PC game Command and Conquer Generals the superweapon of the USA is the Particle Uplink Cannon. It fires a sustained beam into space, where it is reflected onto the target using a satellite mirror. It requires the whole energy output of an upgraded cold fusion reactor to function, but is highly effective against everything. Near the end of the terrorist campaign in the expansion, the GLA seized an uplink and used it to literally cut the USS Ronald Reagan in two.

In the Halo series of video games, the Covenant's Particle Beam Rifle, analogous to a sniper rifle, fires high-velocity purple beams that do large amounts of damage.

In the TV series Zoids, the Charged Particle Cannon is one of the most powerful weapons. With the ability to destroy an enemy with one shot, its weakness is the massive size will greatly immobilize the Zoid.

In episode 6 of the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, Unit 01 uses a 'Positron Sniper Rifle' against the angel Ramiel. The rifle is described as a particle beam weapon that requires the entire power output of Japan in order to build up enough charge to fire.

In the manga series Bio Booster Armor Guyver, the titular armor's most powerful weapon, the 'Megasmasher' is a dual lens particle beam weapon located in the chest region of the armor. It has been stated to generate an excess of 100 megawatts of power.

In the X video game series, there are multiple types of Particle Accelerator Cannons that fire bursts of very fast particles.

In the PC/Xbox 360/PS3 game, Wolfenstein, the Nazis' research into the fictional Black Sun universe allows them to harness the energy within that universe to create super weapons, one of them being the Particle Cannon, a weapon that fires a beam of energy which disintegrates anything it hits almost instantly.

References

See also

• Beamline
• Charged particle beam
• Electron beam
• Ion beam
• Linear particle accelerator
• Microbeam
• Particle accelerator
• Directed-energy weapon
• Large Hadron Collider