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in combination with the energy deposited in the target was thought to negate any realistic defense. Target hardening through shielding or materials selection was thought to be impractical or ineffective in 1984, especially if the beam could sustain full power and precise focus on the target. Neutral
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Charged particle beams naturally diverge because of mutual repulsion, and are deflected by the earth’s magnetic field. Neutral particle beams (NPBs) can remain better focused, and are not subject to deflection by the earth’s magnetic field. Neutral particle beams are ionized, accelerated while
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in July 1989 as part of the Beam
Experiments Aboard Rocket (BEAR) project. It reached a maximum altitude of over 200 km, and successfully operated autonomously in space for before returning to earth intact. In 2006, the BEAR accelerator was transferred from Los Alamos to the
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developed a neutral particle beam system to be used as a weapon or a detector of nuclear weapons in outer space. Neutral beam accelerator technology was developed at
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297:, particle-beam weapons remain at the research stage, and it remains to be seen if or when they will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons.
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The concept of particle-beam weapons comes from sound scientific principles and experiments. One process is to simply
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19:"Ion cannon" redirects here. For the open-source network stress testing and denial-of-service attack application, see
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particle beams with much lower beam power could also be used to detect nuclear weapons in space non-destructively.
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used in nuclear research. A particle-beam weapon is a weaponized version of this technology. It accelerates
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or detection system. They have been known by several names: particle accelerator guns,
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in many twentieth-century televisions and computer monitors is a very simple type of
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can accelerate negatively charged hydrogen ions until their velocity approaches the
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nuclei) to near-light speed and then directs them towards a target. The particles'
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are quite large (sometimes on the order of kilometers in length, such as the
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effects that can destroy electronics. However, many accelerators used for
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atoms, but very advanced versions can accelerate other particles such as
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are a well-developed technology used in scientific research. They use
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a target until it is no longer operational. However, after decades of
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P. G. O'Shea; T. A. Butler; M. T. Lynch; K. F. McKenna; et al.
577:"A Linear Accelerator in Space – The Beam Experiment Aboard Rocket"
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616:"Neutral Particle Beam Accelerator, Beam Experiment Aboard Rocket"
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13th IEEE Particle
Accelerator Conference, Chicago, IL, USA, 1989
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26:"Proton cannon" redirects here. For the fictional device in the
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445:. A prototype NPB linear accelerator was launched aboard a
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structure. A particle-beam weapon is a type of space-based
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598:"'Star Wars' Beam Weapon Has Successful Space Test"
409:. Each ion has a kinetic energy range of 100-1000+
155:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
315:system to focus these streams on a target. The
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363:at the surface, and when penetrating deeper,
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71:Learn how and when to remove these messages
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543:, Federation of American Scientists, 2005
233:Learn how and when to remove this message
215:Learn how and when to remove this message
557:NEUTRAL PARTICLE BEAM POPUP APPLICATIONS
486:P. G. O'Shea; T. A. Butler; et al.
508:Roberds, Richard M (July–August 1984),
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255:to damage the target by disrupting its
792:Differential technological development
563:, Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1991
510:"Introducing the Particle-Beam Weapon"
251:uses a high-energy beam of atomic or
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641:Beam Weapons Almost Ready for Battle
153:adding citations to reliable sources
106:move details into the article's body
881:Future-oriented technology analysis
618:. Smithsonian Air and Space Museum
424:. The speed of a beam approaching
311:along a predetermined path, and a
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323:. More powerful versions include
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416:The beam emitted may contain 1+
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389:Cyclotron particle accelerators
140:needs additional citations for
60:or discuss these issues on the
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395:linear particle accelerators
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369:high-energy nuclear physics
16:Hypothetical type of weapon
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861:Technological evolution
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282:beams, lightning rays,
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866:Technological paradigm
839:Proactionary principle
715:Directed-energy weapon
488:"The Bear Accelerator"
305:electromagnetic fields
265:directed-energy weapon
164:"Particle-beam weapon"
797:Disruptive innovation
677:Emerging technologies
514:Air University Review
403:particle accelerators
301:Particle accelerators
844:Technological change
787:Collingridge dilemma
730:Particle-beam weapon
321:particle accelerator
249:particle-beam weapon
149:improve this article
21:Low Orbit Ion Cannon
901:Technology scouting
876:Accelerating change
705:Caseless ammunition
457:in Washington, DC.
253:subatomic particles
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28:Ghostbusters
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891:Moore's law
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32:Proton pack
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473:References
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365:ionization
329:cyclotrons
175:newspapers
57:improve it
812:Bioethics
437:The U.S.
418:gigajoule
341:positrons
337:electrons
278:cannons,
261:molecular
104:and help
63:talk page
692:Military
461:See also
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433:History
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349:ionized
345:protons
286:, etc.
284:rayguns
259:and/or
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467:Raygun
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