Disintegrator Residue: Effects on Rock & Danger to OH

[Noisy Rhysling]

Our Hero has a disintegrator, invented by Dr. Someguy, and he fires it at rock blocking his path through a cave system. Would the disintegrated material be loose particles of dust or would it disappear? Disappearing would imply energy release of some quantity? Loose dust would be a possible choking hazard or gum up OH's gear? Thoughts, please.

 

[phinds]

"disappearing implying energy release" would likely be way beyond lethal so you'd best go with the dust

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

"disappearing implying energy release" would likely be way beyond lethal so you'd best go with the dust

I was wondering about "collateral damage", meaning "the shooter done killed hisself." I wonder if Dr. Someguy could have included a way of directing that energy away from the shooter.

 

[newjerseyrunner]

Even directing the energy away would be rough on anything else nearby. If you're talking about converting it to pure energy, you have to remember just how much energy is contained in matter. One gram of matter, converted to energy is equivalent to detonating a 43KT nuclear weapon.

*Shoots a pebble*
*Accidentally incinerates a city*

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Even directing the energy away would be rough on anything else nearby. If you're talking about converting it to pure energy, you have to remember just how much energy is contained in matter. One gram of matter, converted to energy is equivalent to detonating a 43KT nuclear weapon.

*Shoots a pebble*
*Accidentally incinerates a city*

So ... don't use it in doors?

 

[stefan r]

Dr Someguy should have included a user manual.

If your disintegrator breaks the grain boundaries in the rock then you usually get silt and sand. You can see crystal grains on extruded pipe railings. Separated grains could be flakes or needles depending on how the material was processed. In order to really separate grains there has to be a gap which means it has to expand.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Dr Someguy should have included a user manual.

He's terrible when it comes to things like that. Drives his intern, Igor, crazy.

If your disintegrator breaks the grain boundaries in the rock then you usually get silt and sand. You can see crystal grains on extruded pipe railings. Separated grains could be flakes or needles depending on how the material was processed. In order to really separate grains there has to be a gap which means it has to expand.

Any guesses as to the velocity of the particles?

 

[stefan r]

Any guesses as to the velocity of the particles?

Why would there be much velocity? You may have to test it a few times. If you want velocity you can always add steam.

Gravity can move sand and gravel quickly:

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Why would there be much velocity? You may have to test it a few times. If you want velocity you can always add steam.

Gravity can move sand and gravel quickly:

Velocity because it's being separated from the parent mass. Just wondering at the initial velocity (very little, a heck of a lot, something in between) of the matter when that happens. There will be close quarters if this works, don't want Our Hero flayed alive by debris from the beam.

 

[DHF]

Another idea is that the device could increase the matter's density, causing the molecules within the affected area to collapse together, perhaps even to neutron density. so zap a door and the door would seem to vanish, the matter the door was made of would still be there, it would just be a microscopic spec of material on the floor.

 

[Janus]

He's terrible when it comes to things like that. Drives his intern, Igor, crazy.
Any guesses as to the velocity of the particles?

It would depend on "how" the disintegrator works. For example, assume that it just cancels out inter-molecular bonds. The molecule themselves in the target are vibrating. Remove the bonds holding them together, and they will fly off at whatever speed and direction they were moving at the moment.
If you just weaken the bonds, but not to the point where they break, you could soften or liquify the target.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Another idea is that the device could increase the matter's density, causing the molecules within the affected area to collapse together, perhaps even to neutron density. so zap a door and the door would seem to vanish, the matter the door was made of would still be there, it would just be a microscopic spec of material on the floor.

Say they needed a tunnel a meter across and ten meters long. There wouldn't be enough matter converted to "neutron density" to cause mobility problems?

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

It would depend on "how" the disintegrator works. For example, assume that it just cancels out inter-molecular bonds. The molecule themselves in the target are vibrating. Remove the bonds holding them together, and they will fly off at whatever speed and direction they were moving at the moment.
If you just weaken the bonds, but not to the point where they break, you could soften or liquify the target.

Any radiation issues with breaking the bonds?

 

[DHF]

Say they needed a tunnel a meter across and ten meters long. There wouldn't be enough matter converted to "neutron density" to cause mobility problems?

Most of what makes up matter is pretty much space, consider an actual neutron star, it has a mass greater then our own sun, yet on average, they are only a few kilometers across. Collapsing down 300sq. meters of rock would still take up a microscopic amount of space.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Most of what makes up matter is pretty much space, consider an actual neutron star, it has a mass greater then our own sun, yet on average, they are only a few kilometers across. Collapsing down 300sq. meters of rock would still take up a microscopic amount of space.

What about 300 cubic meters of rock?

;)

 

[Janus]

What about 300 cubic meters of rock?

;)

300 cubic meters of granite would compress to a cube ~134 micrometers across.

The big problem will be what happens after this cube falls out of the influence of the beam. By itself it is not stable. That small an amount of neutronium won't have enough gravity to prevent the neutrons from decaying into a proton and electron via beta decay.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

300 cubic meters of granite would compress to a cube ~134 micrometers across.

The big problem will be what happens after this cube falls out of the influence of the beam. By itself it is not stable. That small an amount of neutronium won't have enough gravity to prevent the neutrons from decaying into a proton and electron via beta decay.

Would it gain any relative velocity during that fall? Become a missile hazard?

I could solve that if Our Hero is boring at a downward slant?

 

[DHF]

I think the implication is a severe radiation hazard.

 

[stefan r]

Here is a disintegration video complete with high speed film:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbuvcQrAOSk

 

[Janus]

Would it gain any relative velocity during that fall? Become a missile hazard?

I could solve that if Our Hero is boring at a downward slant?

Would it gain any relative velocity during that fall? Become a missile hazard?

I could solve that if Our Hero is boring at a downward slant?

Let's put it this way. The 300 cubic meters of rock it converted to that tiny volume. Which falls to the floor of the tunnel. Once it hits the floor of the tunnel (which also is the outside edge of the boring ray.) it keeps going because it is so dense that the rock can not support it. It now starts to decay with a half-life of 15 min, producing protons and electrons. These will take up more room than the neutrons they decayed from. In other words the mass will be trying to revert to it original volume, but now is surrounded by more rock. Something is going to have to give, big time!

 

[DHF]

For practical, real life applications, this could be a night mare side effect of the device. For a story however, it is a pretty awesome side effect.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Would the debris congeal into one mass?

And Our Hero isn't worried about radiation, his space suit is a General Products item.

 

[DHF]

The side effect of explosive e-comprresification leads to an interesting drama point in the story. The tunnel is only a meter wide by 10 meters long so it is going to take time to crawl through it. As stated however, as the effects of the ray dissipate, the original mass will begin to explode out of the floor. So as your hero is making his way to the end of the tunnel, he knows he has a time limit before contact explosions begin going off.

PS. sorry for my estimate of 300 cu meters, I misread your dimensions for the tunnel.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

The side effect of explosive e-comprresification leads to an interesting drama point in the story. The tunnel is only a meter wide by 10 meters long so it is going to take time to crawl through it. As stated however, as the effects of the ray dissipate, the original mass will begin to explode out of the floor. So as your hero is making his way to the end of the tunnel, he knows he has a time limit before contact explosions begin going off.

Would the time limit vary a great deal with the rate of drilling? Very high rate means very large explosions very quickly, but a slow rate means smaller explosions farther apart? I'm looking for a doable rate of drilling.

PS. sorry for my estimate of 300 cu meters, I misread your dimensions for the tunnel.

Just having some fun. ;-)

 

[DHF]

Janus said the half life was about 15 minutes so that gives you a time frame to work with. Could your character crawl 30 feet in 15 minutes? probably, so maybe make it a longer tunnel. and I would say being out of the tunnel when the first explosion happens would be a good idea because after the first explosion you would have to worry about the rest of the tunnel caving under stress of the explosions.

 

[Noisy Rhysling]

Janus said the half life was about 15 minutes so that gives you a time frame to work with. Could your character crawl 30 feet in 15 minutes? probably, so maybe make it a longer tunnel. and I would say being out of the tunnel when the first explosion happens would be a good idea because after the first explosion you would have to worry about the rest of the tunnel caving under stress of the explosions.

Sounds like Our Hero will need a cable tied to one or both feet with people ready to pull him out when needed. Time keeper outside the tunnel. And, of course, several Bad Guys barging in unexpectedly and a brawl started. Will they get Our Hero out in time? Stay tuned to this station!

That does give me something else to play with. Explosions bursting into the target area would create a diversion. Do the last meter separately.

Oh, and the chamber the drilling starts from is in vacuum.