The problem with magnetic weapons like Gauss rifles and rail guns is that you need a lot of electricity very quickly. The only way to get this is by charging a huge bank of capacitors beforehand. But perhaps there is another way.

Piezoelectric materials generate a voltage when squeezed. Hitting a piezoelectric crystal with a hammer causes a visible electric arc. But the power generated like this is pretty puny.

Proposed, therefore, is a replica of a fission bomb, with the nuclear fuel replaced with (much cheaper) piezoelectric material. This can either be an implosion- or gun-type device, depending on where it's easiest to attach the crocodile clips. When the (conventional) explosive charge is fired, we should get a whole bunch of electrons jumping out of the jump leads.

The advantage of all this is that the device could be produced in bulk, in cartridge form, and loaded into a (possibly cumbersome) magazine, so that your futuristic magnetic weapons can now be semiautomatic.

A spin-off business will also market a miniaturized version of the system for speeding up the recycle time of photographic strobe lights.
-- mitxela, Feb 12 2016

A book about such things... https://books.googl...v=onepage&q&f=false
Explosive Pulsed Power [Ling, Feb 13 2016]

Explosively pumped flux compression generator https://en.wikipedi...mpression_generator
As mentioned in my anno. [notexactly, Feb 14 2016]

[+]

// The only way to get this is by charging a huge bank of capacitors beforehand. //

Or compulsators.
-- notexactly, Feb 12 2016


Ah. Yes. Those too. But they still need charging beforehand.
-- mitxela, Feb 12 2016


Indeed they do.

More on topic, I'm not sure you'll get enough current out of your device. Tests are in order!
-- notexactly, Feb 13 2016


Re [Ling]'s link: Why didn't I think of this sooner? Just use an EPFCG! [link] Those are well-studied already.

Also, [Ling], your link is in Thai. Is that your native language?
-- notexactly, Feb 14 2016


//Also, [Ling], your link is in Thai. Is that your native language?// Heh, I assure you, the book is in English! I know enough Thai to get into trouble, but not enough to get out of it.
-- Ling, Feb 14 2016



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