From: root@mauve.demon.co.uk   
      
   Oren Tirosh  wrote:   
   > "Christopher Shay"  wrote in message   
   > ..   
   >> > > You missed one.  In a collision things break. When your superconductor   
   >> > > breaks all that magnetic energy has to go somewhere. In this case I'd   
   >> > > expect a rather showy explosion.   
   >> >   
   >> > Indeed --- you are quite correct.   
   >> >   
   >> >   
   >> > -- Gordon D. Pusch   
   >> >   
   >> A showy explosion, eh?  *Now* we're getting somewhere!  Could this showy   
   >> explosion be, ah, directed along a particular path?  Say, behind a vehicle?   
   >> Or toward a target?   
   >   
   > You might be able build an Orion-like system where each "bomb" is a   
   > superconducting ring in which a very high current has been induced. As   
   > soon as it heats enough to lose its superconductivity the stored   
   > energy is released explosively.   
   >   
   > Does anyone know what's the limit on the energy density in a   
   > superconducting ring? How does it compare to chemical and nuclear   
   > explosives?   
      
   Assuming you've got a magic superconductor with zero mass and infinite   
   magnetic limits.   
   You'r still bound by the tensile strength.   
   This is quite a bit below what a nuclear bomb can do, even assuming   
   that 200GPa carbon nanotube composite is available.   
   It's not much, if any better than chemical explosices.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)