John Locke
V U L K A N
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Intent: To Submit a special weapon for the SSD Hyperion Ascendant (OOC: Ship to be submitted later)
Image Source: ArtStationhttps://www.artstation.com/artwork/3BJRJ
Canon Link: N/a
Primary Source:
Airy Beam
Light: Electromagnetic wave
Particle Beam Weapon
Proton Beam Cannon
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Locke and Key Mechanics
Affiliation[SIZE=9pt]: [/SIZE]Silver Jedi Order
Model: Helios Cannon
Modularity: No
Production: Semi-Unique
Material: Durasteel, Neutronium, Copper, electronics,
Classification: Proton Beam Cannon
Size: Large
Weight: Heavy
Ammunition Type: Protons
Ammunition Capacity: Effectively infinite as long as the ship has the power to generate the protons
Reload Speed: None
Effective Range: Battlefield
Rate of Fire: Low
Stopping Power[SIZE=9pt]: [/SIZE]Extreme
Recoil: None
Can program the proton beam cannon to fire in a parabolic arc if desired.
Long ranged proton beam cannon
Highly destructive firepower
Beams can bend
Due to the nature of the [SIZE=9pt]weapon[/SIZE], it can not be fired until fully charged, not a fast process
The very nature of the beams ability to bend means it is pre-programmed, movement by their target
The stream of protons is ineffective in [SIZE=9pt]an atmosphere[/SIZE] as collisions with air particles would rapidly destabilise the stream
A strong gravitational field can disrupt the path of the beam, causing it to miss it’s target entirely.
Large: The Helios canon is a large weapon, and as such makes [SIZE=9pt]an easy[/SIZE] target for any enemies who are able to penetrate the shields. Furthermore, the size of the cannon means each weapon takes up the space required by 10 normal turbolasers.
Heavy: The weapon’s slow rate of fire is in part due to the charging requirement of the protons, and in part due to the weight of the cannon meaning that it takes some time to adjust to a new target, preventing it from being fired repeatedly.
The proton beam cannon was always a weapon of terror, whether mounted on the hull of a Lancet Aerial Artillery Vehicle or on the hull of a capital ship. It was this fear that Locke and Key mechanics sought to reintroduce to the battlefield with the Helios Cannons, a series of 10 advanced Proton Beam Cannons that came out of their research labs.
The basis of the cannons was the same as any other particle beam weapon, a stream of protons are passed through an electromagnetic field which accelerates the particles in a direction while an electrostatic [SIZE=9pt]lens[/SIZE] focuses the particles into a directed high-energy beam which can be used to cause significant damage to any target it hits. The particles are accelerated to near light speed through this process, and upon impact with a target transfer a significant kinetic energy to their target causing massive damage and overheating to their target. It is a well-known concept which, when scaled up sufficiently, can be used as a devastating weapon.
Locke and Key, however,[SIZE=9pt] were well known for their tricks and willingness to accept unique forms of technology in order to provide their technology with that unique edge, and the Helios was no different. In addition to the normally terrifying Proton Beam Cannon, Locke and Key mechanics added another piece of physics trivia, the Airy Beam. The Airy beams are constructed [/SIZE]non-diffracting wavefronts. The engineers at Locke and Key mechanics combined the Airy beams with their Proton Beam Cannon, enveloping the protons in an electromagnetic sheath that kept them focused on their target. In this way the engineers were able to extend the range of the Proton Beam Cannon, allowing it to traverse the length of a battlefield while still maintaining its cohesion. It is this magnetic sheath that provides the
The Airy Beams have another effect that led Locke and Key mechanics to invest in the technology, the waveform actually travels in a parabola rather than a straight line. The structure of the waveform controls the shape of the parabola, and since the waveform is constructed that construction can control the bend of the weapon.
It is this functionality that allows the Houyi to actually bend a Proton Beam, allowing whichever ship fires the beam to curve an attack onto an unsuspecting ship, or around some kind of impediment. Choosing to bend a beam especially over the distances involved in a battlefield means that even with advanced computing and planning it is possible to miss if the enemies movements fail to match your predictions. For that [SIZE=9pt]reason[/SIZE], the Helios is mainly used as a straight Beam Cannon, but the additional functionality exists should the opportunity arise to play a trick.
However, due to the electromagnetic [SIZE=9pt]sheath[/SIZE], the proton beam was wrapped in the Houyi cannon is very ineffective against atmosphere rendering it nearly useless when it comes to a fight on a planet. The planet’s magnetosphere and atmosphere combine to disrupt both the sheath and the proton beam, meaning that the beam will dissipate the deeper it gets into the atmosphere.
While each cannon on the Hyperion Ascendant (OOC Note: Ship to be subbed after the Houyi is passed through the factory) lacks the individual power of weapons such as the Annihilator Kyber Crystal Cannon or the Solar Ionisation Cannon when all the beams focus on the same target they can produce an effect in the same magnitude as the other weapons systems, if not able to match their overwhelming firepower exactly. The Helios' advantage is in the increased tactical flexibility offered by its multiple cannons and the programmable curve of [SIZE=9pt]its[/SIZE] beams.
Further sources
Physics AP
Creating Airy Beams with simple optical elements
