h a l f b a k e r yThe word "How?" springs to mind at this point.
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Use a high power laser light pulse to rapidly heat a straight path in the
air. Probably arrange several laser beams in a circle, with the object in
the centre, initially accelerated by an electro-magnetic pulse rail.
Time it so that when the expanding air finally contracts it squeezes the
object
at the bottom, and propels it along the remaining column of
rarified air. The object would need to be quite long to take advantage
of this.
Not sure how to get the lower part of the column to collapse before
the upper part...maybe no need since the change in air pressure might
do this.
Coriolis effect may be overcome by the channeling effect of the
column; effectively bouncing the object off the walls.
I think the main advantages would be that the object would fly through
a vacuum, and accelerate over a longer period. Oh, and it would be
loud.
Of course, the main disadvantage would be that it might not work.
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I think it won't work. Consider a lightning bolt's effect on
air --the air expands away from the bolt, creating a near-
vacuum, and very very quickly fills that vacuum when the
bolt is done (causing thunder). There won't be time to
make significant use of that vacuum corridor. |
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Let's suppose a typical air molecule at STP moves at a few hundred metres per second (I read that somewhere, it might not be right). |
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Then you have a few hundredths of a second to take advantage of a 1 metre wide (that's a lot of laser) rarified-air column before it collapses. |
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The hard part is that the bottom-pinch effect would proceed along the length of the column at around light-speed. (That's how fast the tail end of your laser light-beam recedes from you into the distance, right?) |
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Therefore, to make said bottom-pinch work for you, not against you, your projectile has to be moving at light speed already, pre-pinch. |
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Apart from that, er, yeah, eminently practical. |
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STP fortunately only applies when the temperature and
pressure are standard. So the speed of sound, and the
collapse of the column will be slower at altitude? |
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Edit: seems that the speed of sound depends on
temperature, not pressure. It's just that in our local
environment it usually gets colder as we go up. |
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If Vernon and Ling are both right one would predict that
lightning could shoot materials up the low pressure path: a
jet of dust propelled up above the level of the bolt. |
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I think I need a diagram to understand what you're
proposing here. |
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//Laser shockwave accelerator// |
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Sounds like a new computer graphics card. |
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On second reading, I think I understand it. But I don't see
why contracting gas will push on something; isn't it usually
expanding gas that does that? |
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Sounds like Rudolph's red nose. //eminently practical// |
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