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8 Modern Weapons: Possibilities and Limitations
In the United States, the Los Alamos and Livermore National Laboratories of the
United States became the centers of scientific research in this area. Experiments were
first performed on an ATS amplifier and then on more powerful amplifiers. Successful
attempts were made in the Livermore Laboratory to obtain a stream of high-energy
electrons, the power of which exceeded the one obtained in research accelerated
hundreds of times. It was experimentally established in the same laboratory within
the framework of the Antigone program that the electron beam propagates almost
without dispersion through the ionized channel previously created by a laser beam
in the atmosphere.
In the military and applied field, the first research on beam weapons were
performed by the US Navy in order to create a naval combat station to fight anti-ship
missiles (ASM). A series of short pulses was supposed to form a channel in the atmosphere, through which charged particles would be able to propagate almost freely. It
was believed that a pulse electron beam propagating through an atmospheric channel
can hit a missile at a distance of 1–5 km. With shot energy of 1–10 MJ, the missile
will receive mechanical damage; with an energy of 0.1–0.5 MJ, the explosive charge
may detonate, and with an energy of 0.01 MJ, the electronic equipment of the missile
can be damaged.
As noted in Sect. 8.2, the main disadvantages of beam weapons are low efficiency, high losses in the air, and relatively low distance of effect in ground layers
of the atmosphere. These disadvantages impose severe limitations on the creation
of ground military complexes, while large weight of the structure and huge energy
power consumption currently restrict its use in space.
However, most experts consider using beams of charged particles in the open space
futureless. Such beams have a noticeable divergence due to the Coulomb repulsion
of like-charged particles; moreover, the trajectory of the charged beam is bent when
interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. It is not noticeable during a sea battle;
however, at distances of thousand of kilometers, both of these effects become very
significant. In order to create space missile defense, it is preferable to use beams of
neutral atoms (hydrogen, deuterium) that are pre-accelerated in regular accelerators
in the form of ions.
The most likely targets of beam weapons include the military, ballistic and cruise
missiles, spacecraft, airplanes, electronic equipment of various weapons systems and
military equipment, as well as enemy manpower. It is assumed that a powerful stream
of electrons can also be used to explode ammunitions containing explosive and melt
nuclear charges of ammunition warheads. Particle accelerators can become a reliable
means of selecting attack warheads of the enemy against the background of a cloud
of false targets.
The most important requirement for creation of actual accelerating weapons is
the availability of extremely powerful sources of energy.
Along with traditional circles, scientific circles are discussing a nearly fantastic
idea of creating an energy source based on artificial proton disintegration (APD).
APD releases almost a hundred times more energy than a nuclear explosion. Unlike
the nuclear fission reaction, proton decays do not require critical mass values. A
8 Modern Weapons: Possibilities and Limitations
In the United States, the Los Alamos and Livermore National Laboratories of the
United States became the centers of scientific research in this area. Experiments were
first performed on an ATS amplifier and then on more powerful amplifiers. Successful
attempts were made in the Livermore Laboratory to obtain a stream of high-energy
electrons, the power of which exceeded the one obtained in research accelerated
hundreds of times. It was experimentally established in the same laboratory within
the framework of the Antigone program that the electron beam propagates almost
without dispersion through the ionized channel previously created by a laser beam
in the atmosphere.
In the military and applied field, the first research on beam weapons were
performed by the US Navy in order to create a naval combat station to fight anti-ship
missiles (ASM). A series of short pulses was supposed to form a channel in the atmosphere, through which charged particles would be able to propagate almost freely. It
was believed that a pulse electron beam propagating through an atmospheric channel
can hit a missile at a distance of 1–5 km. With shot energy of 1–10 MJ, the missile
will receive mechanical damage; with an energy of 0.1–0.5 MJ, the explosive charge
may detonate, and with an energy of 0.01 MJ, the electronic equipment of the missile
can be damaged.
As noted in Sect. 8.2, the main disadvantages of beam weapons are low efficiency, high losses in the air, and relatively low distance of effect in ground layers
of the atmosphere. These disadvantages impose severe limitations on the creation
of ground military complexes, while large weight of the structure and huge energy
power consumption currently restrict its use in space.
However, most experts consider using beams of charged particles in the open space
futureless. Such beams have a noticeable divergence due to the Coulomb repulsion
of like-charged particles; moreover, the trajectory of the charged beam is bent when
interacting with the Earth’s magnetic field. It is not noticeable during a sea battle;
however, at distances of thousand of kilometers, both of these effects become very
significant. In order to create space missile defense, it is preferable to use beams of
neutral atoms (hydrogen, deuterium) that are pre-accelerated in regular accelerators
in the form of ions.
The most likely targets of beam weapons include the military, ballistic and cruise
missiles, spacecraft, airplanes, electronic equipment of various weapons systems and
military equipment, as well as enemy manpower. It is assumed that a powerful stream
of electrons can also be used to explode ammunitions containing explosive and melt
nuclear charges of ammunition warheads. Particle accelerators can become a reliable
means of selecting attack warheads of the enemy against the background of a cloud
of false targets.
The most important requirement for creation of actual accelerating weapons is
the availability of extremely powerful sources of energy.
Along with traditional circles, scientific circles are discussing a nearly fantastic
idea of creating an energy source based on artificial proton disintegration (APD).
APD releases almost a hundred times more energy than a nuclear explosion. Unlike
the nuclear fission reaction, proton decays do not require critical mass values. A