Particle beam weapon

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This article deals with Particle beam weapon as it relates to NationStates. For more general information, see the Wikipedia article on this subject.

Particle Beams (RL Physics)

The NPBW or CPBW (Neutral-Particle Beam Weapon or Charged-Particle Beam Weapon) works by accelerating charged particles, such as ions, at speeds close to the speed of light. Propogation of such beams thusly occurs at high speeds, making the range of such weapons quite significant and thus making them a good choice for space based weapon platforms. NPBs start of as CPBs because only CP can be moved to relatavistic speeds through electromagnetic forces in a particle accelerator.

The neutral particle beam has it's adventages over the charged particle beam when in an atmosphereless enviroment such as space. Charged particle beams will expand more rapidly then neutral particle beams simply because charged particles repel one another, this, together with the rather significant strength of the electromagnetic force, resulting in the range of a charged particle beam in space being rather close to zero. Charged particles are also effected by external electric and magnetic fields, which makes the beam travel in a non- linear path, should such fields be present.

The charged particle beam has it's advantages over the neutral particle beam in an enviroment with an atmosphere. Since neutral particle beams can't propogate in an atmosphere due to collisions with atmospheric particles ionizing particles in the beam, converting it into a charged particle beam of poor quallity, the range of a NPB is, again, reduced to something reasonably close to zero. As charged particle beams propogate through an atmosphere they will ionize atmospheric gasses. This permits charged neutralization, a flow of charge which shorts out internal electric fields which would otherwise prevent CPB propogation. Nonetheless, even the range of a CPB in an atmophere is still a tactical one, comparable to kinetic weapons.

Particle beams interact with solid matter through one-on-one interactions, where individual particles in the beam lose energy through encounters with individual particles in the target. Since the distance to a target is much greater than the thickness of a target, more energy is generally lost in propagation through the atmosphere than is deposited within the target itself. Therefore, beams with sufficient energy (And design, since certain interactions between the CPB and the gases in an atmosphere require specific pulse designs to 'bore holes' through it) to propagate through the atmosphere will have sufficient energy to damage their target. As a result, target interaction is an important factor in beam design only for neutral particle beams propagating in a vacuum. Relativistic particles have ranges in solids comparable to a typical target thickness. Therefore, a beam deposits energy throughout a target’s volume, and not on its surface. This results in lower temperature gradients, and neither thermal conduction nor radiation are effective as mechanisms to limit target damage. The damage itself take the form of effective vaporisation of the effected target areas.

It might be noted that this only deals with the physics of particle beams, not with the (quite complex) technological requirements, I.e. the need for reasonably small and efficient particle accelerators, power generation, waste and friction heat elimination, etc; as such, particle beams are a somewhat more complex weapon than what above lines suggest they are.

Particle Beams (NS)

Since NS is a roleplay community where not everyone has the time or interest of reading up upon specific physics, particle beams in NS are a somewhat more chaotic topic. Ion Cannons are quite common as a space based weapon system, despite them technically suffering from the limitations of a CPB, yet, they are commonly treated as working inside the NS universe (Usually by way of projecting sufficient EM fields to keep a coherent beam. Sometimes, gravitic systems are used to gain comparable results).

Target interaction might differ, too, as some Ion cannons tend to be more along the lines of directed EMP weapons, others do thermal, rather than kinetic damage (Especially Plasma weapons).

Also, most particle beam weapons in NS are considered to propagate equally well inside an atmosphere and in space. This is assumed to be the result of the usage of dual-use CPBW and NPBW mixed into one platform.