Voyage of the Stars

Chapter 100 Derivative Technology
With sufficient resources and a relatively stable environment, mankind has rarely entered the fast lane of development since the disaster.

Day after day, year after year, the accumulation of science and technology has finally advanced from quantitative change to qualitative change.

In the fourth year after the communication with the Moks was interrupted, controllable nuclear fusion was finally declared successful. Since then, mankind has entered the several-year experimental stage of nuclear fusion engines.

The nuclear fusion reactor experimental reactor has also been included in the planning under such an environment.

As the Moks said, the use of nuclear fusion energy is a sign of first-class civilization. After thousands of years of vicissitudes after the disaster, mankind has finally reached the minimum standard for space navigation.

Level one civilization is a subdivision. Broadly speaking, levels one to three are aerospace-level civilizations.

In order to master controllable nuclear fusion, humans have accumulated enough technology in materials, particle physics, engineering mechanics and other applications. At this time, these accumulations are connected by controllable nuclear fusion. The connection of technology is at this moment. It also profoundly tells mankind that no technology is independent.

People have discovered that particle physics, which was previously studied to achieve controllable nuclear fusion, can create more powerful laser weapons after nuclear fusion is used as an energy source.

The materials developed to meet the needs of controllable nuclear fusion have given humans the ability to make higher-strength alloys.

At this time, engineers analyzed various materials and found that with a series of advances in applied technology, humans could actually design larger warships.

In terms of weapons, military technology experts have also proposed the possibility of using magnetic confinement arrays as the constraint components of new particle weapons based on the controllable nuclear fusion magnetic confinement structure.

As soon as the design outline of this new weapon came out, Yue Yuan paid close attention to it.

In the imagination of military technology experts, this is a charged weapon. Because the warhead is positron, they named this weapon, which is still in the design stage, 'positron cannon'.

The principle is to use a magnetic confinement array as a pressurized storage chamber, use the powerful energy of the fusion reactor to excite a large number of short pulse lasers, and then use countless gold and platinum flakes as catalysts to generate a large number of positrons and negative electrons.

Then, a suitable magnetic confinement array device is used for this positron-generating core, so that the produced positrons and negative electrons can be separated before self-annihilation.

The separated positrons are guided by the magnetic field into the pressurized storage room of the magnetic confinement array for circulation and accumulation. After having enough positrons, these positrons are fired toward the muzzle through the magnetic confinement device array.

It sounds short, but the design of this new weapon is very complex.

Because positrons are the antiparticles of electrons, humans at this stage have no ability to store positrons for a long time. Whenever they encounter conventional materials, they will immediately undergo an annihilation reaction with the electrons in conventional materials.

Therefore, scientists must accurately calculate a series of parameters such as the number and time that humankind's current magnetic field technology can bind electrons, as well as the critical point of charging.

As you can imagine, this is a weapon that shoots without turning back. As soon as it starts charging, it must be fired.After all, there is no way for the positrons in the charged state to flow back, and if they are not emitted, the magnetic confinement array will have to be in working state.

In this state, if there is a slight error in the core of the weapon, it is likely to cause magnetic field turbulence and trigger a large amount of positron space-time, which will then evolve into a super explosion.Of course, because it is an anti-particle weapon, it is also very lethal. As long as it is a substance, it can cause an annihilation reaction with the electrons in it, and then destroy the target structure.

However, in contrast, the space required for positron cannons also needs to be very large. In the past, human warships that were only 712 meters long, 400 meters wide, and 305 meters high could not fit a single gun at all.It’s not that its muzzle is big, but that its various components take up a lot of space.

Engineers realized this during the design stage, which meant that if they wanted to be equipped with positron cannons, they would have to build larger warships.

This kind of weapon that appeared due to the connection between science and technology, no need to ask aliens at all, let people understand that the positron cannon should be the most penetrating main weapon that a first-level civilization can have. Oh, no, It should be the most penetrating energy weapon.

As for the most penetrating kinetic energy weapon, it is still the electromagnetic gun. However, due to the upgrade of the energy system, the electromagnetic gun is much more powerful than before.

In addition to this iconic weapon, many derivative technologies based on controllable nuclear fusion are also used in weapon design by the military industry department. For example, the infrasonic hydrogen bomb is one of them.

It has to be said that human beings' talent in weapons and equipment seems to be innate.Once new technology appears, it can always be used in weapons.

Yue Yuan expressed his relief at this point.

In his opinion, other things can be a bit worse, but weapons and equipment must be developed with priority.This has nothing to do with realizing that the universe is dangerous, it is purely because of the four words "if you forget to fight, you will be in danger."

"Positron cannons and infrasonic hydrogen bombs, as those of us who have just embarked on the first-level civilization, we can all see it from the scientific and technological connections. I believe that other first-level civilizations must also have these weapons, so in future warship designs, you must take these factors into consideration Also consider it." Yue Yuan said to the military scientific research department at a military science and technology report meeting.

Since ancient times, conflicts have always existed. If there is such a spear, there will be a corresponding shield for defense. Yue Yuan hopes that future warship designs must also take the shields for defense against these weapons into consideration.

"Shuai Yue, of course we know this. Infrasonic hydrogen bombs are easy to deal with. As long as the air on the battleship is drained, the crew members can wear spacesuits on board. But so far, we have not seen any relevant technology that can defend against positron cannons. Shield." A weapons design expert shook his head, with helplessness written on his face. It seemed that he had already discussed it with relevant scientists.

"Since positrons can be restrained and stored by magnetic constraints, they should also be able to use magnetic fields for defense! Why, is it difficult?" Yue Yuan thought that this should be easy to figure out.

"That's the theory, but with our current technology, there is no way to generate a magnetic field strong enough to cover the entire battleship. The key is that the magnetic field must be strong enough to distort the trajectory of positrons."

Although the new warship is still in the conception stage, these military and technical personnel already have some basic structural data in mind.

I heard this military expert say with some helplessness: "Even if it is possible, the influence of the external magnetic field on the internal magnetic field of the positron cannon must be considered. If another layer of magnetic repellent material is covered on each component of the positron cannon, then the warship will have to be built. Generally speaking, we currently do not have the ability to develop a magnetic field shield."

"So, the defense relies entirely on battleship armor?" Manyuemei asked this question on behalf of others in the Armed Forces Department.

"Yes, this will be the case for a long time in the future. Maybe it will be enough when we fully master nuclear fusion." Another military industry expert replied: "So we believe that for a long time to come, the military industry will The focus should be on alloy materials.”

(End of this chapter)