Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!bellcore!att!cbnews!military
From: cerebus@bucsf.bu.edu (Tim Miller)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Particle Beam Gun
Message-ID: <10233@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 14 Oct 89 01:56:21 GMT
References: <10149@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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Organization: Boston University
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From: cerebus@bucsf.bu.edu (Tim Miller)


On 12 Oct 89 03:19:03 GMT,
10e@hpcvia.hp.com (Steven_Tenney) said:

ST> A few months ago I read a short blurb on the feasability of using
ST> particle-beam technology as a form of future fire power.  A particle
ST> beam gun would shoot proton energy pellets.  Has anyone heard of this
ST> possibility?

	I've heard nothing on this; I'd like to know if you can provide a
short summary of the article (e-mail). 
	
	The thing that bothers me about the feasibility of battlefield
man-killing lasers or particle beams is one of power consumption.  They
suck power like MAD.  The problem also is linked to the fact that a laser
or particle beam hooked up to an inferior power source is of ZERO
effectiveness rather than reduced effectiveness; read that as useless
without an ideal power source operating perfectly in the field (and
everything fails sooner or later, though usually sooner).

	I rather like the idea brought up by some military s-f writers:
rather than a laser or other beam weapons, what about a small pellet moving
at .7c or some such insane velocity.  They call this type of weapon a
'relativistic BB-gun.'  

	Comments?

					Timothy J. Miller
					cerebus@bucsf.bu.edu