Force fields are here!

[insane_alien]

I was randomly surfing around the net and i found this thing called a "Plasma Window" http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr121101b.htm apparently it is a device that uses plasma to form a barrier against any matter but let energy through. apparently if you use argon for the plasma it looks like the force fields in startrek cargo bays.

 

its being used in the welding industry to hold back the atmosphere from an electron beam in electron beam welding. but its about 80kW per inch which is abit high for stuff just now.

 

there is more about it in wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_window

[Sayonara]

So it won't stop ray guns then...?

 

Good... gooooood.

[Dr. Dalek]

When they can deflect weapons let me know

[insane_alien]

well, they could deflect weapons(projectile) just now if we made one big enough and supplied it with enough power and plasma. its already being used to hold back 1 atm of pressure.

[Genecks]

I see the image that is available on that website. However, I can not discriminate what is shown in the pictures because of the 'messy' atmosphere.

 

I'd like to see a video of it in action.

[ecoli]

I was randomly surfing around the net and i found this thing called a "Plasma Window" http://www.bnl.gov/bnlweb/pubaf/pr/2001/bnlpr121101b.htm apparently it is a device that uses plasma to form a barrier against any matter but let energy through. apparently if you use argon for the plasma it looks like the force fields in startrek cargo bays.

 

its being used in the welding industry to hold back the atmosphere from an electron beam in electron beam welding. but its about 80kW per inch which is abit high for stuff just now.

 

there is more about it in wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_window

 

That's cool... the LLc at BNL is a pretty cool place.

[CanadaAotS]

lmao...

 

w00t to force fields!

 

[Heretic]

would be shooting beams at hostiles through the shield. The shield isn't a bubble it's a window... meaning it must have a frame. Attack the frame and bye bye shield.

 

Besides this thing keeps out air... I'd love to see it stop a RAILGUN.

[Matty2sum]

Would there be a range on it as a gun? and the force field idea is trippy. objects would incinerate as they went thru.

[insane_alien]

heretic, there are many many other applications than weapons and military. since this is a first gen force field, we don't know if it can be built without a frame.

 

it could not be used in military applications because a field of sufficient size to be useful would require gigawatts of power. the army doesn't want to be carting around a nuclear powerstation everywhere they go.

[Matty2sum]

Gravimetric Field Displacement Manifold would be nice.

[CanadaAotS]

Thats a hell-of-a fancy way of saying warp-core lol

[Matty2sum]

You got it. I didn't think every one was familiar?

[mooeypoo]

Actually, "warp core" is a wrong terminology. "Warp core" is the engine itself (that creates the movement), while what you intend is energy "creator" -- which is the Matter/Antimatter reactor.

 

Yes.. yes.. I'm a startrek semifan. I got the Startrek Physics concepts book at home. Nifty way to "explain" totally bs science

 

~moo

[insane_alien]

well the warp travel is theoretically possible. we just need to figure out a way to manipulate space-time. wormholes would probably be easier though.

[RichF]

The bubble boy would find it useful!

 

Yes the above statement is insensitive but I've been watching Seinfeld reruns so all is excused.

[insane_alien]

no the bubble boy would not find it useful the amount of power requires to run even a small plasma window is extremely large. not to mention the weight of the equipment and power source.

 

Also if he were inside a closed plasma windo then he would die quickly because of the heat of the plasma.

[KAZU]

I run a plasma cutter thursdays and fridays, the thing cuts through 1/2 inch plate steel like nothing. I can't wait til we all have lightsabers.

[insane_alien]

different technology from plasma cutters. its used in welding processes just now(specifically, electron beam welding) to sustain a vacuum for the electrons to pass through and stop the area around the weld from oxidizing.

[KAZU]

Huh, I thought electron welding and plasma cutting where essentially the same, I mig weld almost everyday and to get better penetration on thick material, I usually prep the material by preheating it with a torch, or cutting into it so I can dump more weld in. In electron welding, I thought the advantage was not having to do the prep to get penetration or no foreplay as my machinist friend says, since it acts like a plasma cutter in the way of "blasting" apart atoms and shooting electrons into the material resulting in excitation heat/fusing of the material. As far as shielding the weld goes wouldn't it be cheaper to shield with an inert gas like mig or tig welding? Do you know what the benifit is by sheilding with plasma? The only benifit I see is that it could maybe heat prep the material first, but again that can be done with a torch.

[insane_alien]

ok, from what i understand of electron welding is that you can get a deeper weld than all other types of welding but the electrons need to travel through a vacuum to the plates in order to reduce scattering. if you used a shielding gas then the electrons wouldn't reach the metal, but would scatter out.