What is a Particle Beam?

Particle beam weapons emit sub-atomic beams (charged particle beams and neutral particle beams) that are directed at high currents, near the speed of light, and are used to destroy satellites and incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles. Even if the nuclear warhead is not directly damaged, the powerful electromagnetic field pulse heat generated by the particle beam will burn the missile's electronic equipment, or use the gamma rays and X-rays that occur around the target to disable or destroy the target's electronic equipment. Charged particle beam weapons are used in the atmosphere. Neutral particle beam weapons are used outside the atmosphere and are mainly used to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles flying in the boost and mid-range.

Particle beam

Particle beam weapons emit high-energy directed strong currents, near the speed of light, of subatomic beams (charged particle beams and neutral particle beams) used to destroy satellites and incoming

In today's world, the development of weapons has entered the atomic and molecular world.

Russia and the United States are studying two types of particle beam weapons, one is ground-based charged particle beam weapons, and the other is space-based neutral particle beam weapons.

Basic principles of particle beam weapons

The charged particle beam in the atmosphere is characterized by an electron beam rather than a neutral beam. In the atmosphere, although it has attenuation, it can conduct and is suitable for use. In the vacuum state outside the atmosphere, due to the repulsion between the charged particles, the charged particle beam will be exhausted in a short time, so the neutral particle (neutron) beam is more suitable for use in outer space.

Particle beam weapons generally consist of

The accelerator is the core of the particle beam weapon. It is used to generate high-energy particles and gather them into a dense beam to accelerate it so that it can destroy the target. The target recognition and tracking system is mainly composed of search and tracking radar, infrared detection device and microwave camera. After the detection system finds the target, the target signal is processed by the data processing device and ultra-high-speed computer, and then enters the command and control system. According to the instruction, the positioning system tracks and aims at the target, and at the same time corrects the influence of the earth's magnetic field, so that the particle beam is aimed at the target and will be destroyed Position, then activate the accelerator to launch the particle beam.

Particle beam weapons are more difficult to develop than laser weapons, but they are more promising as space-based weapons than laser weapons. Its main advantages are: (1) no optical devices (such as mirrors); (2) the accelerator that generates the particle beam is very solid, and the accelerator and magnet are not affected by strong radiation; (3) the particle beam is directed toward the target within a unit solid angle The transmitted energy is greater than that of a laser and can penetrate deep into the target.

The disadvantages of particle beam weapons are: (1) When charged particles are transmitted in the atmosphere, due to the constant collision of charged particles with air molecules, the energy decays very quickly, and neutral particles cannot propagate in the atmosphere; (2) charged particles in Defocused during transmission in the atmosphere, so the particle beam used in the air can only hit close-range targets, and the neutral particle beam also diffuses when transmitted in outer space; (3) the beam is bent by the influence of the earth's magnetic field, Thus deviating from the original direction.

Technical difficulties and research status of particle beam weapon development

Since 1975, US early warning satellites have repeatedly found a large amount of gaseous hydrogen with tritium in the atmosphere, which may be caused by the emission of a charged particle beam. In 1976, the US early warning satellite detected that the former Soviet Union conducted a test of a nuclear fusion-type pulsed electromagnetic fluid engine in the desert region of Kazakhstan to generate a charged particle beam. Data show that the research on particle beam weapons began in the former Soviet Union in 1974, the United States began in 1978, and theoretical verification was carried out in laboratories in the mid-1980s.

Since the mid 1970s, the former Soviet Union has conducted eight experiments on the method of conducting charged particle beams on ionospheric and extraterrestrial cosmic satellites, manned spacecraft and the salute space station; particle beam weapons have been tested in the Leningrad region. For ground tests, the test equipment includes linear electromagnetic induction accelerators, -ray instruments, X-ray instruments, magnetic memory, and multi-channel ultra-high-voltage switches, etc., and has been subjected to charged particle beam irradiation tests on ICBMs, spacecraft, and solid fuel targets. In 1978, the former Soviet Union manufactured a particle beam generating device of 0.5MV, 80J, 16 layers and 7 columns using 1000GeV proton acceleration technology in East Germany.

The U.S. Navy established a seesaw plan for the development of particle beam weapons in the 1970s to study the use of charged particle beams to intercept missile warheads. The United States Department of Defense established the Directional Energy Technology Agency in 1981 to develop particle beam and laser weapons, and began implementing a five-year development plan with a budget of $ 315 million in fiscal 1981. When a particle beam is used as a weapon, it must have both high current and high energy, as well as several megawatts of energy. It must increase the power by thousands of times, or even tens of thousands of times, based on the existing foundation. After the particle beam hits the target, it emits electrons, and the protons penetrate directly, and it stops after the energy is exhausted. The vertical penetration depth of a 100MeV neutral bundle to various substances is: solid propellant 9.5cm, lead 3.3cm, and aluminum 0.8cm.

Ground-based particle beam weapons need to solve the transmission distance problem in the atmosphere. The neutral particle beam has a low defocus, and it is very difficult to produce the brightness of 1020 to 1021 J / sr that is needed to destroy future reinforcement targets. Since the neutral particle beam cannot pass through the atmosphere, it can only be mounted on a satellite, so reducing the size and weight of the accelerator becomes another problem. In addition, the mechanism of neutral particles destroying the internal equipment of the target should be studied.

Ground-based particle beam weapons need to have sufficient range to emit particle beams from the ground. Space-based particle beam weapons need to operate in outer space. In terms of surveillance and tracking systems, sensors are extremely demanding, and they need to be of a size and weight suitable for deployment in space. In the 1980s, the particle beam accelerator built by the former Soviet Union in Sarasaggan, Kazakhstan occupies about four football fields. The particle accelerator in the United States is as large as a building, so space-based deployment is difficult to achieve.

The principle of particle beam weapons is not complicated, but it is very difficult to enter actual combat. The first is energy. Particle beam weapons must have a powerful pulsed power source. To burn a small hole in the missile shell, the pulse power of the particle beam to reach the target must reach 1013W and the energy is 107J. Assume that the efficiency of the particle accelerator is 30%. Even if the energy loss of the particle beam during transmission is not taken into account, the pulse power of the accelerator must be at least 3 × 1013W, while the power of the most advanced pulse power currently under development is only 107W. The most important pulse power source technology for the practical use of neutral particle beam weapons is the continuous wave very high frequency (VHF) radio frequency source.

Because of the above-mentioned series of technical difficulties, although Russia and the United States are actively studying particle beam weapons, ground-based and space-based particle beam weapons are still in the feasibility verification stage of the laboratory. It is estimated that they may enter actual combat deployment after 2020. The basic work that the United States has done includes: theoretical verification of particle beam generation, control, orientation, and propagation technologies and laboratory tests; experiments with accelerated test benches to verify the feasibility of neutral particle beam solutions; and discussion of charged particle beam solutions . According to the US space-based particle beam weapon program, the energy of the hydrogen atomic beam is 200 MeV and the weapon weight is 60t, which is used to intercept the warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles flying in the outer boost and mid-range.

The starting point of Russia and the United States for particle beam weapons is based on space operations and defense. The main work is basic research and research on high-energy conversion technology. Research on ground-based particle beam weapons is limited to the range of short-range weapon systems as point defense operations. The main purpose is to ensure the stable propagation of charged particle beams over long distances in the atmosphere.

The United States has identified potential uses of particle beam weapons for intercepting missiles, attacking satellites, and conducting mine clearance outside enemy defenses. The current method of generating particle beams is to use a linear electromagnetic induction accelerator, but because the accelerator is too bulky, it cannot be put into use on the battlefield. In basic research, the United States has focused on researching small and efficient accelerators and technologies suitable for deployment on ground-based and space-based antimissile platforms. The United States uses a linear electromagnetic induction accelerator to generate particle beams. Through the same accelerator, the pulsating particle beams are continuously recirculated, so that the particle beams circulate in the existing small accelerators, and energy is gradually added to each passing particle. The US Army's Ballistics Research Laboratory said that the principle of a small circulating electromagnetic induction accelerator needs further confirmation. Whether such an accelerator can be used on the battlefield is the size and weight of the accelerator. The United States has also developed an experimental accelerator device that is no larger than a desk, which is an acceptable size for deployment in outer space.

The purpose of energy conversion technology research is to form high-speed particle pulses. According to the US Air Force's research organization, the research on traditional thyristor switches and spark discharge switches has been completed. The next step is to conduct magnetic switch research. This switch is based on the saturated electromagnetic induction principle and has a high repetition rate.

The strong X-rays emitted during a high-altitude nuclear explosion, the intense laser beams emitted by laser weapons and particle beam weapons, and various other strong particle beam damaging effects are all closely related to the particle beam explosion phenomenon. The study of particle beam explosion was originally to study the effects of high-altitude nuclear explosions and the use of strong electron beams to simulate nuclear explosion effects in the laboratory. Particle beams irradiate solids to induce stress waves, so this explosion is also a new type of loading method for dynamic high-pressure experiments. Among them, the method using a strong laser beam is more common.

Particle beam explosion generally goes through the energy deposition phase and the local damage phase caused by the stress wave; if the material is irradiated by the particle beam and has been subjected to other loads, there will be a damage expansion phase:

The process of energy absorption of the particle beam by the solid surface during the energy deposition phase. Different types of particles interact with different materials and materials, and their energy deposition is also different: electrons and X-rays can penetrate the interior of the solid, which results in deeper deposition. The particles interact with the solid in a variety of ways during the transport process. The energy is converted to the internal energy of the solid, which causes the stress in the energy deposition area to increase rapidly, so that the compressive stress wave is induced to propagate deeper into the solid; infrared lasers usually cannot transmit into the opaque solid, and the energy deposition range is limited to a shallow layer on the surface. By this action alone, there is not much energy converted into stress waves, but when the temperature of the solid surface increases, it can be ablated away. When the ablation vapor is ejected at high speed, due to the conservation of momentum, a recoil pressure is applied to the On the surface of a solid, this recoil effect can cause compression stress waves to propagate to the deep part of the solid; a laser beam with a high energy density irradiates the solid surface. Ablation vapors on the solid surface and nearby air will ionize into plasma due to high temperature. Strongly absorbs incident laser light, shields the solid, so that the laser energy cannot be directly deposited on the solid, but after the plasma absorbs the laser, there is A laser-supported detonation wave may be formed. The high pressure behind the detonation wave front will act on the solid surface and cause a compressive stress wave. This process is called secondary energy deposition.

Stress waves induced by particle beams propagate in the solid at the stage of local failure caused by stress waves, which can damage the solid and break it. The most common phenomenon is reflection when a compressive stress wave propagates to the rear free surface of a solid. Under appropriate conditions, a negative pressure zone will be formed after the reflected wave interacts with subsequent incident waves, causing the solid to be stretched. If the tensile stress is strong enough and lasts for a period of time, stratification will occur in this negative pressure area, and local dynamic fracture failure will occur in the irradiated part of the material.

When the particle is irradiated by the particle beam during the damage expansion phase, if the material has been subjected to other loads, it may cause sufficient stress concentration in the localized damage area that has been formed, and cause a larger range of damage.

The second and third phases are similar to the destruction process of solid materials during ordinary explosions, and the first phase is unique to particle beam explosions.