An E-bomb is a weapon designed to disable electronics on a wide scale with an Electromagnetic pulse.
They are still classified, if they exist at all, and may only be theoretical.
Theory*
"The fundamentals of the workings of an E-bomb are grounded in a basic understanding of electromagnetic physics theory. The technology relies on an electromagnetic pulse that may be conceptualized as an electric shockwave created when a stream of highly energetic photons collides with atoms of low atomic numbers to cause them to eject a 'pulse' of electrons. Such a phenomenon called the Compton effect was first observed in open-air tests of nuclear bombs when the immense detonation energy interacted with the oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere to shoot mass quantities of electrons radially outwards from the explosion. Though these pulses diminish in strength over distance, electric lights hundreds of miles away were overloaded." The theory behind E-bombs was originally proposed by Arthur H. Compton, a physicist, in 1925.
Current state of E-Bombs*
"Today American scientists are working diligently on the creation of E-bombs that can target artillery shells and missiles and disrupt their trajectory in mid-flight. They could be of crucial assistance in today's strategic theater that is based much more around urban warfare where one bomb could take out an enemy's electrical infrastructure before the arrival of ground troops. America's first major tests of their high-tech EMP weapons based on using high-temperature superconductors to create intense magnetic fields will take place in less than a year, however terrorists can today easily construct a potent E-bomb using 1940s technology for only $400."
Mechanics of an E-Bomb*
"The rudimentary form of an E-bomb is called a flux compression generator. It consists of an explosives packed tube inside a copper coil that is energized by a bank of capacitors. This creates a magnetic field. When the explosives are detonated from rear to front, the tube flares outwards touching the copper coil and so creating a moving short circuit. This compresses the magnetic field forward and creates an EMP that surges from the ordnance with peak currents of tens of millions of amps. Such a high frequency pulse can pass through faraday cages used to ground electromagnetic energy from lightning. However, even if the cages were effective they would still be easily bypassed since any wires running from the devices within them would act as antennae and conduct the high transient voltage. There is also a so called 'late-time EMP effect.' This refers to the observations of EMPs creating localized magnetic fields within electrical systems they pass through that soon collapse sending huge surges through power and telecommunication infrastructure. This sparks a chain reaction in which all devices attached to these lines will be rendered useless by the massive surge. Such FCGs can be made with basic electrical materials, plastic explosives and readily available machine tools and can be smaller than a suitcase."
Legend:
* = All topics marked with a "*" are either phrased or para-phrased from [1]
See also
External links
Last updated: 05-30-2005 02:44:54
