X-Ray Pumped Laser

[KJ_Lesnick]

Anybody remember anything about this?  If I recall it involved using a nuclear reaction to basically produce a powerful X-ray laser beam.  Allegedly the original concept called for a device the size of a desk that could emit 100,000 beams and stuff, though some claim this was a crock.

What do you got

[pyro-manic]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=nuclear+pumped+laser

[rickshaw]

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=nuclear+pumped+laser

[KJ_Lesnick]

What I meant was not so much the basic principle... I was wondering if anything was declassified about them

[rickshaw]

What I meant was not so much the basic principle... I was wondering if anything was declassified about them

No, of course not.  Now, if I tell you what I know about them, I'd have to kill you afterwards....  

No one knows if they work, Kendra.   The one test that was conducted was "inclusive" and as there won't be any more tests as long as the comprehensive test ban is observed, it's all inclusive.   Teller is long dead and as he was it's chief proponent, and he's now generally recognised as having been as mad as a hatter, no one really is interested in it.

[Cobra]

Kendra, the Only Place I've Heard Mention of X-Ray Pumped Laser is as a Warhead for Missiles Used in the Honor Harrington Novels,You may want to Read a Few and See if that Helps You. No Offense meant. Dan

[Steel Penguin]

it also appeared in the Traveller : The new era, supplement,  Fire Fusion and Steel as a weapon option, so has a set of rules and tables for building in game, plus some discussion on the theoretical workings and stuff, but as no one will admit to anything concerning RW facts, speculative fiction is probably the only place youll find anything. And of course that will be speculative, though Traveller at that time was trying to stay within the bounds of science for anything at around this tec level in system ( TL 7, 8, 9 if I remember correctly).
I also recall it was touched on in a couple of UK broadcast science programs in the 80s ( Tomorrows world did a show on the Star wars {SDI} system,  which I think did mention it,  and did point out the problems with SDI including the point in time when the UK would have got clobbered the screen went black and you got a steady whine tone, and I think Horizon did a follow up, try You tube or the BBC site for more)

[KJ_Lesnick]

it also appeared in the Traveller : The new era, supplement,  Fire Fusion and Steel as a weapon option, so has a set of rules and tables for building in game, plus some discussion on the theoretical workings and stuff, but as no one will admit to anything concerning RW facts, speculative fiction is probably the only place youll find anything. And of course that will be speculative, though Traveller at that time was trying to stay within the bounds of science for anything at around this tec level in system ( TL 7, 8, 9 if I remember correctly).
I also recall it was touched on in a couple of UK broadcast science programs in the 80s ( Tomorrows world did a show on the Star wars {SDI} system,  which I think did mention it,  and did point out the problems with SDI including the point in time when the UK would have got clobbered the screen went black and you got a steady whine tone, and I think Horizon did a follow up, try You tube or the BBC site for more)

You mean the government censored that part?

[rickshaw]

it also appeared in the Traveller : The new era, supplement,  Fire Fusion and Steel as a weapon option, so has a set of rules and tables for building in game, plus some discussion on the theoretical workings and stuff, but as no one will admit to anything concerning RW facts, speculative fiction is probably the only place youll find anything. And of course that will be speculative, though Traveller at that time was trying to stay within the bounds of science for anything at around this tec level in system ( TL 7, 8, 9 if I remember correctly).
I also recall it was touched on in a couple of UK broadcast science programs in the 80s ( Tomorrows world did a show on the Star wars {SDI} system,  which I think did mention it,  and did point out the problems with SDI including the point in time when the UK would have got clobbered the screen went black and you got a steady whine tone, and I think Horizon did a follow up, try You tube or the BBC site for more)

You mean the government censored that part?

No.  It was trying to represent the effects of an EMP. 

[Steel Penguin]

the EMP, the multiple Megatonage landing on the sites and the flash and heat effects, ( I also have the UK hit list for Twilight 2000 1st ed somewhere) that was equally sobering 
remember most built up areas in West Germany were only a couple of Kilotons apart  as I heard it put one time.

[Gondor]

it also appeared in the Traveller : The new era, supplement,  Fire Fusion and Steel as a weapon option, so has a set of rules and tables for building in game, plus some discussion on the theoretical workings and stuff, but as no one will admit to anything concerning RW facts, speculative fiction is probably the only place youll find anything. And of course that will be speculative, though Traveller at that time was trying to stay within the bounds of science for anything at around this tec level in system ( TL 7, 8, 9 if I remember correctly).
I also recall it was touched on in a couple of UK broadcast science programs in the 80s ( Tomorrows world did a show on the Star wars {SDI} system,  which I think did mention it,  and did point out the problems with SDI including the point in time when the UK would have got clobbered the screen went black and you got a steady whine tone, and I think Horizon did a follow up, try You tube or the BBC site for more)

That twigged a memory for me. X-Ray laser satellites! The laser would fire at the warheads of launched ICBM's, but to do this the satellite would end up being destroyed because the nuclear explosion to create the X-rays would be catastrophic to the satellite.

Gondor

[pyro-manic]

They feature in other sci-fi writing too. There's a scene I remember where a habitat (O'Neill Cylinder style space station) is attacked with pumped gamma-ray lasers to great effect. I can't remember what book at the moment, but it'll be by Peter F Hamilton or someone like that. Might be the Night's Dawn trilogy? Can't remember exactly.

[rickshaw]

it also appeared in the Traveller : The new era, supplement,  Fire Fusion and Steel as a weapon option, so has a set of rules and tables for building in game, plus some discussion on the theoretical workings and stuff, but as no one will admit to anything concerning RW facts, speculative fiction is probably the only place youll find anything. And of course that will be speculative, though Traveller at that time was trying to stay within the bounds of science for anything at around this tec level in system ( TL 7, 8, 9 if I remember correctly).
I also recall it was touched on in a couple of UK broadcast science programs in the 80s ( Tomorrows world did a show on the Star wars {SDI} system,  which I think did mention it,  and did point out the problems with SDI including the point in time when the UK would have got clobbered the screen went black and you got a steady whine tone, and I think Horizon did a follow up, try You tube or the BBC site for more)

That twigged a memory for me. X-Ray laser satellites! The laser would fire at the warheads of launched ICBM's, but to do this the satellite would end up being destroyed because the nuclear explosion to create the X-rays would be catastrophic to the satellite.

Gondor

The satellite was the weapon.  It consisted of a series of rods of (bugger, can't remember the material...beryllium?), which made the satellite look like a porcupine.  When an attack was detected, the satellite would turn, to orientate a rod on a warhead and the nuclear device in it's centre would explode and a beam of x-rays would be created by the vaporisation of the rod.  This would go towards the ICBM warhead which would be fried, rendering it a lump of inert uranium/plutonium.  Now, you'll note the flaws in the concept straight away.  It's a single use weapon.  It doesn't actually destroy the ICBM warhead so you'd have lumps of radioactive material still plummeting into your nation and more than likely breaking up on impact.  Then there is the problem that X-rays are quickly attenuated by increasing atmospheric density, so firing an X-ray beam into the atmosphere is less effective than firing one out of the atmosphere.  So, in order to make this work, you could really only fire the beam at warheads outside the atmosphere at their apogee and by then they are surrounded by decoys, which makes differentiation nearly impossible.  Finally, the thing that most probably killed the idea was expense.  You need a massive number of such satellites for it to be an effective defence, they need to be maintained and their nuclear warheads need to be manufactured and they need to be lofted into orbit and no one likes the idea of a massive number of nuclear warheads circling the Earth continuously.   The very idea is destabilising.   What would be the possibility that the US might decide to slip a few nuclear weapons aimed specifically aimed at the USSR?  Even X-ray lasers could cause nasty damage to humans if fired from directly overhead.  The result would be a massive increase in the building of Anti-Satellite weapons by the USSR, placing their own warheads in orbit, etc.    Reagan and the proponents of SDI were very naive IMO, believing SDI would stabilise the international nuclear situation.

[pyro-manic]

Reagan and the proponents of SDI were very naive IMO, believing SDI would stabilise the international nuclear situation.

Was that ever the aim, though? I thought SDI was part of the "outspend the Soviets and ruin their economy" strategy, rather than a serious attempt at missile defence. Some of the ideas (the x-ray satellites included) were truly daft...

[Go4fun]

Anybody remember anything about this?  If I recall it involved using a nuclear reaction to basically produce a powerful X-ray laser beam.  Allegedly the original concept called for a device the size of a desk that could emit 100,000 beams and stuff, though some claim this was a crock.

What do you got

Let me guess: Your neighbor either parks blocking your drive or his dog does his business in your yard?