Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Idea for Matter/Antimatter Containment

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Posted by Enterprise (Member # 48) on :

I'm not sure how the magnetic things on the M/A containment fields work, but after talking about acid reflux (gastric juice getting in your esophogus) in Physiology this past week, I began thinking of the following device to be used when the M/A containment fields like to fail:

Magnetic Reflux Coils
What I envision these things doing is this: When the M/A containment fields start to fail, the coils are turned on. Since the magnetic things are failing, the magnetic "stuff" would be shed off. It would then be collected by the coils and fed back into the M/A containment fields. This would then buy some time to fix the system or evacuate crew.

Any comments?

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Brandon "Enterprise" Grasmick
Commanding Officer, USS Sovereign (NX-74222)

"Captain, the Sona crew are willing to negotiate a cease fire. It may have something to do with the fact that we have 3 minutes of air left."
-- Worf

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
-- In time of war the law falls silent.

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Hm... But, if the containment fields have failed, how can the antimatter be "fed back into the...containment fields"?

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"About as useful as a narcoleptic rickshaw driver."
-James Lileks

Posted by Enterprise (Member # 48) on :

TSN,

What I'm referring to is this: When the magnetic things ARE IN THE PROCESS of failing, the magnetic stuff (ie, the containment system, I call it stuff because I don't have the encyclopedia on hand) would be collected by the coils and fed back into the M/A containment system.

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Brandon "Enterprise" Grasmick
Commanding Officer, USS Sovereign (NX-74222)

"Captain, the Sona crew are willing to negotiate a cease fire. It may have something to do with the fact that we have 3 minutes of air left."
-- Worf

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
-- In time of war the law falls silent.

Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

I'm afraid I don't follow. The magnetic fields containing the antimatter and/or warp plasma fail, yes? There isn't any "stuff" for you to move around.

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"The record of my unspeakable crimes, in previous lives, in previous times, indelibly stains the pages of history."
--
They Might Be Giants

Posted by Enterprise (Member # 48) on :

As the magnetic energy is "shed off," it is collected by the coils and fed back into the fields.

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Brandon "Enterprise" Grasmick
Commanding Officer, USS Sovereign (NX-74222)

"Captain, the Sona crew are willing to negotiate a cease fire. It may have something to do with the fact that we have 3 minutes of air left."
-- Worf

Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges
-- In time of war the law falls silent.

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

I understood him perfectly.

As the antimatter containment fields begin to fail, the flux lines of the field move relative to the coils of the emergency system he describes. This energizes the emergency system for a brief period of time, perhaps long enough to restore the main containment field.

--Baloo

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Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :

Oh.

*tries to shake out the cobwebs*

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"The record of my unspeakable crimes, in previous lives, in previous times, indelibly stains the pages of history."
--
They Might Be Giants

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Baloo: Erm... I'm not sure where you got that...

Anyway, perhaps this will help. The anitmatter is contained by a magnetic field. This field prevents the antimatter from touching the inside surface of its container. It would be like if I covered you in magnets w/ their north poles all facing away from you, then put you in a room whose walls were covered w/ magnets w/ their north poles all facing into the room. No matter where you moved, the magnets on you and on the walls would repel each other, and you couldn't touch the wall. When magnetic containment fails, the devices that are generating the magnetic field stop working. It would be as if the magnets lining the walls all suddenly went dead. You would then be able to touch the wall, or the antimatter could touch the surface of its container. The problem w/ this is that, when antimatter touches matter, yoiu get a rather noticable kablooie...

Now, Enterprise, maybe if you explain your theory again, we'll have something to work off of. What, exactly, is the "stuff"?

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"About as useful as a narcoleptic rickshaw driver."
-James Lileks

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Oh, damn. After I typed that all out, now I think I get it. You say the "stuff" is the magnetic energy. Are you thinking that, when the magnetic field shuts off, there is energy making up the field that is released, and can be collected? That's not true. Once the magnetic field is off, it's gone. There's nothing to collect and "feed" back into the system.

Either that, or I've been long misunderstanding the properties of a magnetic field... :-)

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"About as useful as a narcoleptic rickshaw driver."
-James Lileks

Posted by Bernd (Member # 6) on :

A magnetic field cannot be shut off immediately, neither intentionally nor accidentally. This is because the coils generate a magnetic field and vice versa this field keep the electric current flowing (however decaying exponentially) if the current source is disabled. I think this is the real science background for the "containment failure" scenario. Since this basic effect is implied anyway, it can't be used for an additional safety measure.

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I know engineers - they love to change things. (McCoy, STTMP)
www.uni-siegen.de/~ihe/bs/startrek/