Would Michio Kaku's Force field Design be practical for Space Combat?

[BigTomCyberpunkAuthor]

Hi there! I'm a sci-fi author, mainly specialising in Cyberpunk. But I want my next story to have more of a space focus and be sent in the late 22nd Century, with ultra-hard science in the vein of The Expanse.

I've always wanted to stick to the predictions on Future Timeline, but one piece of Technology is bugging me; The Force Field.

For those who are unfamiliar, this is the design that Michio Kaku described in his book and TV series Sci-Fi Science: Physics of the Impossible. Since force field's as they're traditionally portrayed in sci-fi aren't possible, this design incorporates a number of technologies stacked on top of each other. The outer layer being a laser lattice to vaporise metal slugs. A second layer using photochromatic material to absorb excess energy from enemy laser weapons. And a third layer using a carbon-nanotube net to protect against small arms fire.
https://www.futuretimeline.net/22ndcent ... orcefields


This idea, while having the virtue of being scientifically plausible still obviously has technical limitations. The biggest one being the sheer amount of energy needed to power the laser lattice. I guess you could save power by having sensors detect incoming attacks and then trigger the lasers, but obviously this wouldn't be something that could be powered by a small generator. Certainly not something that could be miniaturised to be an on-person device ala Dune or Halo.

I could certainly see this being used to protecting military bases etc anywhere large enough to house a fusion reactor, or at least have the energy transmitted to it. But the question remains, for me at least, if the technology would still be practical for space battles?
Part of me has been taken in by more modern sci-fi shows like Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse, which depicts space battles without the Ships having shields. It certainly adds to the realistic feel, particularly in the Expanse when you literally see bullets cutting through ships in zero-g, leaving trails of molten metal behind them...(Love it xD)

But I have always wanted to stay true to the predictions on Future Timeline, and it does mention that 'cone shaped force fields' will be used to protect ships by 2150.
https://www.futuretimeline.net/22ndcent ... terstellar

I'm just wondering, that in the interest of realism, this might actually be a bridge too far? Michio Kaku describes the laser lattice as needing 100 Terawatts or something ridiculous like that. Hard to imagine any ship being able to support a fusion reactor that could generate that, at least by the end of the 22nd Century.

As I mentioned before, using the Laser Lattice only when needed would defo save power, but even then, is it really realistic? I'm not so sure anymore. There might also be issues with the whole system generating far too much waste heat, that the ship's radiators wouldn't be able to syphon off in time, causing everyone inside the ship to die from overheating. I mean, you can always just sci-fi this problem away by saying there are super-advanced nanotechnology radiators by then or something...But you know what I mean lol.

One thought I had was perhaps you could build Space Stations with massive fusion reactors, then use Lasers or other means of Wireless Energy Transfer to beam the power needed to power a whole fleet worth of ship's forcefields. So if a particular fleet has control of a sector of the solar system, they just set up one of these stations and use it to provide protection to their fleet and maintain control of the zone. If done with lasers, the beam could be maintained over light years, and could even protect interstellar voyages. To me, this seems to bypass a lot of these problems, and provides a unique twist on the old concept.

I dunno, I'm just trying to world build here lol. Thoughts would be much appreciated guys!

[Ken_J]

If memory serves there was an idea at one point for plasma window/shield tech that can act as a barrier and there was some discussion of using them for a scoop/funnel to gather hydrogen in a ram scoop craft. and maybe to deflect inter stellar debris.