Considering that all combustion-based weaponry as we know it, i.e firearms and explosives require a high-temperature reaction to work, I've been wondering something. Is it possible that one day we could achieve such technology that would allow us to use the opposite, that being low temperatures? If it does get developed, what long-term ramifications could it have?
In your opinion, what is the most feasible way to make such weaponry possible? Could it get to a point where it could be as effective as standard bombs and missiles? At their full potential, could any theoretical low-temperature weaponry render what they use now obsolete?
Low-Temperature Weaponry
Re: Low-Temperature Weaponry
I’m not super knowledgeable on kinetic weapons but my guess is that anywhere where heat is a bottleneck would see improvements. Maybe something like rate of fire for an automatic weapon could be improved. Gatling guns are already so fast though that ammo is more of a problem than rate of fire. They burn through their ammunition stock in 10s of seconds or 1s of minutes.
Re: Low-Temperature Weaponry
I don't think this would really be feasible, because it takes energy to accelerate mass, which will always end up as waste heat in the end since none of it is destroyed after use.
You could make a gun that uses liquid nitrogen or dry ice as the propellant. But carrying around liquid nitrogen or dry ice is impractical for a handheld firearm, and I am not sure if it would have the same efficiency as conventional propellants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-1lY2cRp0 Here is an example of a liquid nitrogen gun.
I am not sure if it would be possible to use some sort chemical that can be stored at room temperature and then rapidly expands into a gas that is cold, since even the liquid nitrogen example still involves a rapid temperature increase, it is just that the starting temperature is very low. If you had something that makes things colder than it is then it would end up removing energy from its surroundings, which is the opposite of what you want in a firearm.
But if you could make some sort of cryobomb, then maybe you could use it in conjunction with regular explosives to crack through armour, by cooling it down so it contracts and then rapidly heating it up again so it expands and cracks open, or otherwise degrades it.
You could make a gun that uses liquid nitrogen or dry ice as the propellant. But carrying around liquid nitrogen or dry ice is impractical for a handheld firearm, and I am not sure if it would have the same efficiency as conventional propellants. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78-1lY2cRp0 Here is an example of a liquid nitrogen gun.
I am not sure if it would be possible to use some sort chemical that can be stored at room temperature and then rapidly expands into a gas that is cold, since even the liquid nitrogen example still involves a rapid temperature increase, it is just that the starting temperature is very low. If you had something that makes things colder than it is then it would end up removing energy from its surroundings, which is the opposite of what you want in a firearm.
But if you could make some sort of cryobomb, then maybe you could use it in conjunction with regular explosives to crack through armour, by cooling it down so it contracts and then rapidly heating it up again so it expands and cracks open, or otherwise degrades it.
Re: Low-Temperature Weaponry
I think the most realistic type of low-temperature weaponry might be particle based, i.e a freezing laser. Something like this :
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v14/s163
Since standard lasers will generate a butt-load of heat, I think that a ULT laser will be necessary to experiment with as an alternative.
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v14/s163
Since standard lasers will generate a butt-load of heat, I think that a ULT laser will be necessary to experiment with as an alternative.
