Particle-based Weaponry

Talk about scientific and technological developments in the future
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Doozer
Posts: 55
Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:02 am

Particle-based Weaponry

Post by Doozer »

As we all know, Science fiction loves its particle-beam projectile weapons such as lasers, plasma ect. For almost 100 years, such technology has captivated audiences' imagination. Right now, this technology is still in its infancy despite years of research. It is mostly seen in the form of laser-turrets mounted on naval ships to take down drones.

I would like to ask if any of you think said technology will become at all common in our lifetime. When the first gunpowder-based weapons were invented in China circa 800 AD, they could only manufacture large and heavy canons only usable once in battle before a lengthy refill. Slowly over the centuries, they were able to work it down into the portable, multi-shot firearms we see today. If I were to guess, Particle-beam weapony (PBW I will call for short) will undergo an evolution paralleling that of gunpowder.

Just as the world was first introduced to the atom bomb in 1945, I'm guessing that most likely that PWB will first become mainstream roughly a full century later. However, for the remainder of the 21st century, we will only see super-large and immobile particle-canons like the ones on battleships and the typical sci-fi laser gun won't arrive on the scene until at least a few more centuries.

What technology do you think would be required to muster the right amount of energy for PWB to be developed and operate functionally? How could it be shrunk down to handheld-size one day? One material I think will be useful is graphene due to its ultra-conductive properties and the fact it is lighter than a feather. I look forward to your feedback.
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JackWhite1
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Joined: Tue Oct 05, 2021 8:23 am
Location: UK, London

Re: Particle-based Weaponry

Post by JackWhite1 »

It's hard to say will we see it during the 21-st century or not, but I bet that these weapons are not going to look like they looked in science fiction/literature. Of course, scientists will try to fit their designs into current pop culture, but I doubt it'll have similar look. Speaking about materials, I agree with you that graphene will be there for sure but hard to do more bets, because it's far from reality right now.
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funkervogt
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Joined: Mon May 17, 2021 3:03 pm

Re: Particle-based Weaponry

Post by funkervogt »

I don't think particle weapons will come into use, but laser weapons will. They will get small enough to fit on pickup trucks.

This is a great article on the practicalities of plasma and laser weapons: https://www.militantfuturist.com/review-the-terminator/
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