physics:logarhythmic_cannon

Logarhythmic Cannon

A specialty emplacement weapon used in deep-space weaponary - commonly for the purpose of system defense - a logarithmic cannon (or log-cannon) uses a combination of hard-light and mass-dislocation to artificially extend a barrel many times its original length internally without over-exposing itself.

This can be thought of as stretching the space inside the cannon, so there is more space inside the cannon than there is outside. Hardlight is then used as a type of linear coaxial firing assembly to magnetically or gravitationally accelerate a round from the barrel (commonly a particle of some sort).

The Logarhythmic Cannon has clear limitations - for example, taking such a long time to power up that it is often considered a near permanent structure of its host vessel (often a long corridor). Great lengths are made to secure this area as the end points require large clearance due to the fluctuations in the length of the cannon which would slice through exterior hull elements or fuse them together which would destroy the host starship.

For this reason, a platform usually relies on layers of hardlight, energetic defense and point defense options to secure itself rather than heavy blast-doors.

While virtually immune to large conventional attack, given that the driving force of the Logarhythmic cannon is usually the main engine or powerplant reactor core of a platform, this makes it particularly vulnerable to attack from a smaller units which might slip by the point defense if their armor and mobility is sufficiently high enough.

For this reason, defense options are also employed inside the length of the cannon itself, commonly disposable drones which are destroyed when firing. In addition, the platform has the option of relaxing the corridor. This usually involves shifting the position of the powerplant inside the starship and acts like a slingshot, throwing whatever units are inside it out through the rear and crushing them in the gravitational differentials - feeding them through a spacial mincing machine.

For this reason an attack on a Logarhythmic Cannon that doesn't have some means of disabling this in advance is both ineffective and suicidal.

  • physics/logarhythmic_cannon.txt
  • Last modified: 2016/06/02 21:14
  • by 127.0.0.1