Re: New idea Laser launcher/scoop systems

[kgstar@most.fw.hac.com (Kelly Starks x7066 MS 10-39)]

At 12:58 PM 3/15/96, Timothy van der Linden wrote:
>>>I assume that all the particles will be ionized so that we can make the
>>>walls of magnetic fields. If this doesn't work, I'm not sure what would,
>>>since the temperature of the particles would be very high (1E6 Kelvin?).
>>
>>True.  I'm starting to get woried that particals will lose energy to the
>>mag or voltage sheilding, rather than bounce back from the wall and out the
>>back.  Anyone know how relativistic reflections work?
>
>Assuming we can make a field strong enough to reflect the particles at all.
>
>Does anyone know how and if this problem can be solved?

We know what the voltage evergy of the particals are 12-20 Mev.  So if we
can keep up a higher charge...

>>>Another way to decrease the pressure is simply to add less power (which is
>>>the smartest way, I think). So then the amount of particles goes down and so
>>>does the pressure.
>>>
>>>Timothy
>>
>>???  The power is related to the number of particals reactiong.  I.E. a
>>given fusion reaction releases particals with x energy each.
>
>Yes, but when you decrease the amount of particles that are released, the
>pressure build up is slower. This makes that the equilibrium pressure goes
>down too.
>Imagine a funnel in which you pour water. If you pour only a little bit of
>water all goes out slowly without building up a waterlevel in the funnel. If
>you pour more water, then the waterlevel in the funnel starts to rise and
>the velocity of the water that comes out of the funnel increases with the
>height of the waterlevel. If you pour too fast the funnel will flow over.
>The level of the water can be compared with the pressure in the engine, the
>amount of water poured in cna be compared with the amount of particles
>(photons) released by the fusion reaction.
>
>
>Timothy


??  The fusion process in question doesn't relase photons.  The particals
it does release have defined energies/speeds.  Since we want to (as far as
I remember the question) get the particals going faster.  Holding them in a
bottle isn't going to help.  It presumably would slow them down, unless we
add more energy to the bottle.  So unless we want to convert some of the
plasmas kinetic energy to electricity, and the electric used to accelerate
the rest (which doesn't sound like its worth bothering with) were probably
stuck.

With a normal rocket or jet you can boost presure because the material can
be forced through a choke where higher back presure accelerates it.  The
presure in this case however would need to be maintained by a magnetic or
electric field powered externally.  This does not appear to be practical.

Kelly


----------------------------------------------------------------------

Kelly Starks                       Internet: kgstar@most.fw.hac.com
Sr. Systems Engineer
Magnavox Electronic Systems Company
(Magnavox URL: http://www.fw.hac.com/external.html)

----------------------------------------------------------------------