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Path: utzoo!utcsri!ubc-vision!alberta!cadomin!andrew
From: andrew@cadomin.UUCP (Andrew Folkins)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Phasers, Disruptors and Photon Torpedoes
Message-ID: <645@cadomin.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 11-Dec-85 17:11:18 EST
Article-I.D.: cadomin.645
Posted: Wed Dec 11 17:11:18 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 12-Dec-85 20:42:46 EST
References: <9041@ritcv.UUCP> <8500018@orstcs.UUCP>
Reply-To: andrew@cadomin.UUCP (Andrew Folkins)
Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Lines: 22
Summary: 

In article <8500018@orstcs.UUCP> jamesp@orstcs.UUCP (jamesp) writes:
>
>The Disruptor is a warp-technology weapon which creates a warp-space "shock
>wave" and directs it at the desired target.  This would be concievably fairly
>easy to do, although it would require a decent energy input and a small amount
>of charging (but nothing like that required for photon torpedoes).  
    ^^^^^^^^

Electric charge, I presume? 
 
Actually, photon torpedoes should be pretty simple to make.  All you need to
do is contain some antimatter in a normal matter container, using electric
or magnetic fields, and turn the field off when the torpedo is at it's target.
The antimatter then reacts with it's container, and boom. 
 
Anyway, the point is putting a charge on the antimatter so it can be handled.  
As the big E's engines use the stuff, probably as a plasma, the techniques for
handling antimatter would be fairly well developed. Given the amount of energy
produced by the main engines, it should be no tribble at all to vaporize a
few micrograms of antimatter, then move it into a missile and shoot the thing
out into space.