| From: | Chris Maxfield cmaxfiel@****.org.au |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Electro-Magnetic Pulse Questions |
| Date: | Mon, 23 Oct 2000 23:14:17 +1100 |
>Strago said:
> >From what I've read, I know that an EMP is one of the side effects of
> >a nuclear detonation. Thus, the easiest way to set up an EMP is to
> >detonate a nuke above your target. I do wonder, though, if that's the
> >ONLY way to get an EMP.
>
>Far from it. One can be generated with equipment that would fit in a van
>(see Neal Stephenson's _Cryptonomicon_) with today's tech, likely with a
>briefcase-sized unit by SR times. Of course, wear your lead-lined
>undies...
For example one type, the "Explosively Pumped Helical Flux Compression
Generator", consists of a heavy wire coil (an inductor) with an air core,
and a conductive tube filled with high explosive in the center. To operate,
a current is first set up running through the coil. (The higher the
current, the stronger the magnetic field, the better the result.) Once the
current is established, the high explosive tube is detonated at one end.
The exploding tube makes a connection between one end of the coil, and with
whatever sort of EMP emission device you may have. The explosion then very
rapidly runs down the length of the coil, making a sort of "sliding short"
that almost immediately dumps all of the energy stored in the coil as a
high-voltage pulse. Carbon fiber reinforcing would be used to keep the
outer coil from being torn apart before all of its energy had been
dumped. The generator is, obviously, destroyed in this process.
There is a good explanation of these devices (with diagrams) on the web
page: http://www.infowar.com/mil_c4i/mil_c4i8.html-ssi
Quote -
"The FCG is a device capable of producing electrical energies of tens of
MegaJoules in tens to hundreds of microseconds of time, in a relatively
compact package. With peak power levels of the order of TeraWatts to tens
of TeraWatts, FCGs may be used directly, or as one shot pulse power
supplies for microwave tubes. To place this in perspective, the current
produced by a large FCG is between ten to a thousand times greater than
that produced by a typical lightning stroke."
Rumor and educated guesswork suggests that operational systems weigh in at
~500 kg and produce an EMP sufficient to disable unhardened electronics out
to several hundred meters or even more. Once only, for obvious reasons...
> >And now for the Shadowrun questions, building on the above:
> >1) What would happen if someone used an EMP in downtown Seattle? Would
> >it knock out the corps?
>
>IMCW (In My Campaign World), not likely. Because EMP's are so simple,
>all significant equipment would be shielded against all but the most
>powerful possible EMP.
Anything with hardened or military-specification electronics should be very
resistant to EMP.
> >2) Is there any non-corporate group which has the capability to do the
> >above?
>
>Generate them, heck, yes. A SR team that includes a good
>decker/rigger/mechanic type could generate EMP's. Generate EMP's that'll
>knock out a corp, not easily at any rate.
Capability to do it - yes, many. Want to do it, the crazy few. It'll
probably only hurt ordinary folk, and just irritate the corps and other
organizations.
> >3) What would happen to any deckers on the Matrix when an EMP hit?
> >Dump shock? Or worse?
>
>Ouch. A powerful enough one, if the decker was hit by the actual EMP,
>could do nasty stuff.
Dump shock, as the power-supply shorted. There'll be no EMP induced
current; not down an optical fibre.
> >4) Would a runner group feasibly be able to use EMP to take out
> >security?
>
>IMCW, no, because of shielded systems. In other campaign worlds, who
>knows?
NIMC where EMP resistance is a consequence of basic systems hardening in
any secured system.
Chris
