Can plasma weapons possibly become a feasible idea or will they remain in the world of science ficti

Plasma is basically superheated gas.It is effected by magnetic fields because of the charged particles within it.Can plasma possibly be bended or guided into a shape using magnetic fields.Maybe into the shape of a sword.Just look at lightning it is a form of plasma.It travels in a roughly straight direction.Maybe scientists can replicate this effect and make a lightning gun.Tell me what you think.

-Lata,
Alias54

Yeah i think its possible.

Like you said it has charged particles it could be launched by electro magnetism you could give it velocity like how a mag lev train is moved.

maybe?

I think it's plausible, albeit not feasible for a long time. The costs to field it to infantry and even armor units would simply be to great. Perhaps a naval vessel or space weapon perhaps (terrifying thought.)

I ran a boolean search and came up with a list of threads you might find interesting.

Plasma Technology Threads

check out JLN labs for cool plasma experiments.

jlnlabs.online.fr...

This whole site has some great stuff.

And this page:

www.amazing1.com...
(the plasma impulse gun is the last item on the page)
Again,the whole site is worth a look.

Hey i found this too:

external source
"Scientists have reacted angrily to the revelation that the US military is funding development of a weapon intended to deliver an "excrutiating bout of pain" from over a mile away. The "Pulsed Energy Projectile" (PEP) device "fires a laser pulse that generates a burst of expanding plasma when it hits something solid", the New Scientist explains. If you happen to be that something solid, then you get temporarily incapacitated without suffering permanent injury.

That's the theory, but pain reasearchers fear that the proposed riot control weapon could be used for torture, and further doubt a solid ethical basis for the research. Andrew Rice, a consultant in pain medicine at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London, said: "Even if the use of temporary severe pain can be justified as a restraining measure, which I do not believe it can, the long-term physical and psychological effects are unknown." "

www.theregister.co.uk...

I think plasma weapons are already here.

[edit on 6-11-2006 by Silcone Synapse]

I thought I remembered reading that they were attempting to add some type of plasma or EMP weapon to the JSF, the F 35. I think we will see this technology in our lifetime on the battlefield.

Plasma weapons are around and probably being tested out by covert units here and there. That last link is a good one. I'd like to add that we have the equivelent of a lightning gun. Best of all it's invisable when it dicharges. It's a rifle that shoots a powerful IR laser down field to the target. The laser beam ionises the air in it's path creating a conductive conduit for electricity to flow freely down once introduced. It's as good as a copper wire. THey add the juice and it travels down the beam and shocks the Shiznit out of anything it contacts. It's good for up to 300 feet, and acts like a taser, but electricity is electricity and can be used as a weapon in many ways.

Too Right BassPLYR.

Anyone whos messed around with Tesla Coils,Argon gas and the like knows how to make the basics of a plasma discharge,albeit not a weapon.
You can create plasma really easily with a "jacobs ladder" type jobbie.
As the high voltage arc ionises the air by super heating,plasma is the result.
With a limitless black budget,the possibilities are staggering.

I wonder what happens when you give a leauge of genius scientists cart blanch and endless supplies of money to develop their pet theories and exotic projects? The possiblities are staggering.

I remember building a jacobs ladder once for a school project. Man do those things produce Ozone!! you could smell the sweet odor of it and we would have to turn the thing off for a few minutes to let the room air out for safety's sake. But man if you weren't used to the noise they made they would scare they dayllights out of other students.

Originally posted by Alias54
Plasma is basically superheated gas.It is effected by magnetic fields because of the charged particles within it.Can plasma possibly be bended or guided into a shape using magnetic fields.
-Lata,
Alias54

While I can't specifically answer your question perhaps this will be interesting.

I do a little welding from time to time.
To that end I have a TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welder.
The arc is high frequency fwiw and is shielded with an inert gas . . . Argon in my case.

TIGs are used much like an oxygen/acetylene welder in that you use the arc - in place of the oxy-acet flame - to heat the metal until a pool forms on both pieces and add filler rod as necessary.
And fwiw, the TIG is way faster than is the oxy-acet rig in bringing the to-be-welded metal up to temp.

At one time I used a right angle magnetic holding device to hold two pieces of metal in postition so I could tack it together with the TIG, remove the magnetic holding device and weld.

When the TIG arc fired, it was bent 30-40 degrees to one side because it was in the magnetic field of the permanent magnet holding device on one side.
The deflected arc made it impossible to tack-weld the pieces together so another non-magnetic clamping method was used.

It was interesting to see an unpredicted - unpredicted by me - thing happen in what was normally a fairly routine act.

It does appear the plasma could be shaped and bent into a specific configuration by a controllable magnetic field.

That sounds fun Desertdawg.
what sort of voltage does the TIG generate?
I`m starting to think they could be a power source for a tesla type thingy.
Can you get a good long arc from it?

Originally posted by Alias54
Plasma is basically superheated gas.It is effected by magnetic fields because of the charged particles within it.Can plasma possibly be bended or guided into a shape using magnetic fields.Maybe into the shape of a sword.Just look at lightning it is a form of plasma

As far as i am concerned plasma or plasma like weapons have been deployed and used for a number of decades by probably both the USA and former USSR...

For some information on these technologies and their probably employment....

www.abovetopsecret.com...


Stellar

It'd be difficult to get a working plasma weapon inside an atmosphere. At least with our current technology. Space based plasma weapons, say from an Orbital to Surface bombardment platform would probably work, with devastating consequences. I doubt they'd be any better then coherent wave weapons or mass drivers though.

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse
That sounds fun Desertdawg.
what sort of voltage does the TIG generate?
I`m starting to think they could be a power source for a tesla type thingy.
Can you get a good long arc from it?

It is fun.
A lot like oxy-acet welding in that the electrical arc is like the oxy/acet flame far as a heat source is concerned.
(One reason welders recommend you learn to gas weld (oxy-acet) first then all the other methods are easier to understand.

My TIG unit is a small Miller and runs 150A at 15 VDC @20% duty cycle with 240V input voltage - which means weld for one minute, let welder cool for four minutes.
Not as difficult as it sounds since a lot of welds are less than a half minute time-wise and then you're setting up for the next weld.

They do toss out a pretty good arc.
You start the arc by placing the Tungsten electrode about 1/4" or so off the metal to be welded, depress the pedal (similar to a throttle pedal), the arc fires then you let it melt both sides of what's to be welded until you have one liquid metal puddle between the two and add filler rod as necessary.

If you depress the pedal all the way, you can get an arc maybe an inch and a half long.

You'd probably do better $$-wise in building your own electronic circuitry since the lower priced/high quality welders from industrial type suppliers (Miller and Lincoln) can cost a chunk.
$1400. - $1800. are today's prices for one of these devices.


Miller TIG Welders

First you have to ask yourself "Why would we need plasma weapons?"

Really, whats the advantage over conventional weapons? Why would you need a plasma sword nowadays? There really isn't any point to it at all. They'll do more collateral damage and wound unnecessarily.

[edit on 11/7/2006 by Kacen]

Originally posted by Kacen
First you have to ask yourself "Why would we need plasma weapons?"

Really, whats the advantage over conventional weapons? Why would you need a plasma sword nowadays? There really isn't any point to it at all. They'll do more collateral damage and wound unnecessarily.

[edit on 11/7/2006 by Kacen]

I agree Kacen, while I don't really understand the technology behind it I think research into plasma tech is much more beneficial for space travel. I am sure someone else here can elaborate, but good old Discovery Channel tells me it is much more efficient than a conventional or nuclear powered craft.

This youtube video has some glowing objects floating around
and one large one that shoots out a beam at the end.

www.youtube.com...


Its always happens on fishing trips. Well this was amazing and might
be a plasma beam.

The World Famous Tesla Death Ray, plasma or not its relecting off those
headlights:



I got a fav patent that gives you the idea that ions can move things, lol,
or is it current against a mag field:

The original Tesla flat coil patent at free web site
www.delphion.com...
www.delphion.com...

This is referenced, so go here next:
www.delphion.com...
www.delphion.com...
The LORAL satellite company thrustor:
www.delphion.com...

The plasma thruster, you mean lightning from a spark, is power to drive or
is it current forced against a magnetic field.

You decide, make it big and will it fly, or was it big for many years
and now we see the mini versions.

Can't be, so relax and wait for the latest ET contacts to come your
way on pay per view.

Best to all and to the technology we never knew.

Related to chemtrails, if you got high voltage up in the air it might do things.
So are these air craft the delta manta ray with plasma or ion thrustors,
then any chemical might be forming in the trails.

Nikola Tesla was the first to my knowledge to concive the idea of plasma weaponry
and in this video there is two incidents of of plasma weaponry being used to shoot at UFOs
video.google.ca...
sorry i dont rembor the exact times in the movie, but the movie is very informative

Originally posted by foreskin_of_liberty
Nikola Tesla was the first to my knowledge to concive the idea of plasma weaponry
and in this video there is two incidents of of plasma weaponry being used to shoot at UFOs
video.google.ca...
sorry i dont rembor the exact times in the movie, but the movie is very informative

it is a hour in the film