Posted on 08/03/2009 9:34:21 PM PDT by neverdem
Electromagnetic pulse is hardly a household term. But perhaps it should be. Every computer we buy, every system we turn over to computer control, every device that relies on electronic components — all cars, TVs and phones, for instance — makes us more vulnerable to such a high-energy rain of electrons.
EMP is a powerful and potentially devastating form of electromagnetic "fallout." It’s usually associated with nuclear weapons, although it can be triggered by any major explosive bursts. Unlike radioactive fallout, this rain won’t directly harm living things. It will just catastrophically fry all electronics and modern electrical systems by inducing staggeringly large and rapid current or voltage surges.
It makes a great equalizer for small nations looking to stand up to military Goliaths, argues Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (Rep.-Md.), a former research scientist and engineer who has worked in the past on projects for NASA and the military. All one needs to wreak some serious EMP damage, he charges, is a sea-worthy steamer, $100,000 to buy a scud-missile launcher, and a crude nuclear weapon. Then fling the device high into the air and detonate its warhead.
Such a system might not paralyze the entire United States, he concedes. ”But you could shut down all of New England. And if you missed by 100 miles, it’s as good as a bulls eye.”
Bartlett brought up questions about the power industry’s vulnerability to EMPs this morning at a House Science subcommittee hearing convened to look at what’s needed to roll out a nationwide “smart grid.” Emerging sensor-driven systems would allow the U.S. power-distribution system to converse back and forth with any devices we plug into it.
A smart grid should, among other things, allow our dishwasher, air conditioner, clothes drier or office lighting to know when the regional demand for power is...
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
Paging Gary North.
What is the sound of one ham radio operator in a Faraday Cage?
Thanks! ....That's what I was thinkin' about...
An excellent book on the subject. A fictional noval, but it demonstrates what could happen.
One Second After
*static*...frustrated...no signals....*static*
The "area" radii are simply the geometry of a sphere and a tangent swept from a point above the surface. So....
EM radiation strength falls off as 1/R^2. What size (in megatons) thermonuclear device is required, to do actual serious damage to unshielded (consumer-grade) electronics devices, at a radius of 1470 miles? Seems like an awfully damn long distance, so it ought to require an unreasonably huge, maybe impossible, TND. Any figures for that?
Terrifying book...
” It’s usually associated with nuclear weapons, although it can be triggered by any major explosive bursts.”
Baloney.
The best I can refer was the results of Operation:Starfish Prime and the Bluegill series. The Americans and the Russians were hoping to use high altitude bursts as a “ radioactive shield” against incoming RVs using the Van Allen Belts as a conduit.This is called the the Christofilos Effect. It refers to the entrapment of charged particles along magnetic lines of force. EMP was really an unkown force until Operation:Teak and Orange. Christofilos went from being an elevator salesman to working with Dr. Wehrner Von Braun and working for the CIA.
You can check this site. It may have the info you seek:
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/policy/army/fm/3-3-1_2/Appc.htm
There is a link on my website called “Nuclear War Survival Skills” on how to defeat a EMP attack.
Thanks, great link. I'm reading....
A comment in passing: Years ago I worked on high-altitude (geo-sync/geo-stat) spacecraft attitude control systems, learned a little about the effects of radiation on semiconductor electronics, and got an intro to rad-hardening for spacecraft electronics. I grant the problem of radiation flux causing problems inside semiconductor devices.
I'm not as clear on the field strength problem, which is how these HEMP radius figures are described.
The figures quoted for HEMP field strengths are typically around 50KV/m. That's the same as 50V/mm. All consumer-grade semiconductors made in the past decade will withstand pulses of at least 2KV applied directly to their pins (simulating ESD).
So I wonder, although "50,000" sounds big, if really it's not that big at the scale of the electronics itself. I guess I'll just have to read more...
Thanks again.
No Problem. I am glad I could help.
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Looks to me like the calculation was done ‘flat earth’ - so reduce the 1470 mile ring by 40%, and the 1000 mile ring by 28%.
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