Laser-Based VARIES Starship Will Transform Quantum Vacuum Into Antimatter Fuel

VARIES stands for "Vacuum to Antimatter-Rocket Interstellar Explorer System." It's a fairly conventional antimatter-fueled rocket system, but the unique part is where it gets the antimatter from in the first place. VARIES is equipped with a gigantic set of solar panels, each of which is hundreds of square miles in area. To fuel up, VARIES parks itself next to a star, and then uses those panels to power a truly truly monstrous laser that has enough power to smash the vacuum of space itself, spontaneously generating both matter and antimatter (protons and antiprotons) until it's got enough reaction mass to make it to its destination. As long as VARIES can find enough solar power, it can create a virtually unlimited amount of the most efficient fuel that we know of.

Could this Laser be used as a weapon?






Link

Link

Could this Laser be used as a weapon?

My guess would be yes. No need to capitalize it though.

reply to post by SoulVoid


Dang!! A step closer to Destiny in SGU I guess.

Anyone remember those vids of objects that appeared to be absorbing energy from our sun ?
Just putting 2 & 2 together - an area of interest, not expertise

Originally posted by Neocrusader
Anyone remember those vids of objects that appeared to be absorbing energy from our sun ?
Just putting 2 & 2 together - an area of interest, not expertise

You mean this one??

Here

Now that you mention it

To fuel up, VARIES parks itself next to a star, and then uses those panels to power a truly monstrous laser

I came up with a similar concept for use as a pseudo-reactionless drive system. You hit a region of space with gamma ray wavelengths with positive interference creating amplitudes that exceed Planck Energy Density - creating showers of particle radiation that could then be deflected by magnetic or other fields.

Of course - this is really only useful in two contexts - if you were to have some kind of over-unity power generation (I don't entirely rule the possibility of such devices out - but how to build such a device is currently beyond us in spite of popular ATS headlines) - or for achieving much higher reaction velocities (which means higher top speeds for conventional drive systems).

But I contend that by the time we have the technological and engineering capability to bring such a drive system to fruition - we will already have a good lead on how to develop a form of faster-than-light travel - which would make such a drive system somewhat questionable in regards to its value.

It would be like building a piston-and-prop aircraft capable of flying at or near the speed of sound (and being quite a fuel guzzler) when you've already figured out that jet engines and swept wings could take you beyond the speed of sound more efficiently.

Originally posted by XLR8R
reply to post by SoulVoid

 

Dang!! A step closer to Destiny in SGU I guess.

Exactly what I thought. I loved that show, so pissed it was cancelled.

reply to post by OccamsRazor04


Yeah, what's up with that? It was the best Star Gate series and it got scrapped. Maybe they were onto something.

reply to post by XLR8R


No idea I even got my ex gf watching it (when we were together) and she was not into sci-fi at all, she was a beach loving cute blonde who thought I watched dorky shows. She was mad it got cancelled, such a great story and acting.

Back to OP, wonder what sort of military applications a laser like this would have. If there are any there's a chance it would be developed, although it would never be used for exploration until a long time from now.