From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Fri Aug 15 2003 - 00:35:56 MDT
On Thu, Aug 14, 2003 at 11:37:18PM -0400, matus wrote:
> > Robin:
> > At 05:20 PM 8/14/2003 -0700, Robert Bradbury pointed us to:
> > >Gamma-ray weapons could trigger next arms race
> > >David Hambling, 13 August 2003
> > >NewScientist.com
> > >http://www.newscientist.com/news/print.jsp?id=ns99994049
> >
> > Oh my Gawd. (Mouth hangs open for impolitely long period.)
My comment exactly. Such a wonderful principle, and such a... nonlinear
effect on security.
> > Within five years thousands of dollars per kilogram makes
> > material can suddenly release 50Kg of TNT worth of energy. So
> > that's less than a dollar for bullet that releases a truck
> > bomb worth of energy on impact? It really is a new millennium.
You still need to get the x-rays to trigger it, but that might
scale (or not). It is still a weapon that needs sizeable
production facilities and somewhat unusual raw materials that
can be detected, but again it blurs the line between nukes and
more conventional weapons in terms of production.
It would probably make an interesting shaped charge/laser for
the production of very strong gamma ray beams. Is the radiation
coherent too? If it is I have some applications for it in
subverting nanotech tamperproofing.
>
> It would also make a phenomenal propulsion system, at an energy storage
> denstiy near that of fission, it could propel humanity into space.
My first thought too. But gamma rays in themselves are not very good
for propulsion, so they have to be used to (say) heat a propellant. And
then the issue becomes why we are looking at using nuclear isomers
rather than an ordinary NERVA-style reactor.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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