Plasma-based energy shield is a radical new approach reminiscent of tai chi principles – it aims to convert the attacker’s energy into a defensive force. Team spurred by pressure from US, which has Active Denial System, Vigilant Eagle system and AGM-86 cruise missile with microwave warhead and weapons. — SCMP
A group of scientists from China’s top military technology research institution says it is developing a new defensive technology similar to an energy shield in science fiction.
This invisible veil of protection composed of electrically charged ions stands ready to guard China’s drones, missiles and other such weaponry against high-powered microwave attacks, much like the visionary technologies portrayed in the cinematic worlds of Star Trek or Star Wars.
When an assailant’s radiation comes calling, the energy shield springs to life in an instant – and its resistance grows stronger with each escalating attack.
Modern technology is vulnerable in the face of high-powered microwaves. Even military chips fortified with special circuits may struggle to withstand microwave attacks packing several kilowatts of punch at close range.
These powerful waves wreak havoc on the electrical currents within the chip and send its internal temperature soaring.
The team led by Chen Zongsheng, an associate researcher at the State Key Laboratory of Pulsed Power Laser Technology at the National University of Defence Technology, said their “low-temperature plasma shield” could protect sensitive circuits from electromagnetic weapon bombardments with up to 170kW at a distance of only three metres. Laboratory tests have shown the feasibility of this unusual technology.
“We’re in the process of developing miniaturised devices to bring this technology to life,” Chen and his collaborators wrote in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Journal of National University of Defence Technology last month.
Chen’s team said its research had been spurred by pressure from the US.
“The United States has already put into use equipment such as the Active Denial System, the Vigilant Eagle system, the AGM-86 cruise missile carrying a high-power microwave warhead and high-power microwave weapons for airspace blockade,” Chen’s team said in the paper.
“The US military is doubling down on its investments in this domain.
“If the electronic information system (of the People’s Liberation Army) were to be decimated, even the mightiest of weapons and gear would be rendered blind or reduced to nothing more than a heap of scrap metal, potentially altering the very nature of future warfare.”
According to public information, the Chinese military is also developing ultra-high-power microwave weapons – some with a maximum power close to or exceeding 1GW – to attack long-range targets such as high-altitude drones or even low-orbit satellites similar to SpaceX’s Starlink.
In the past, the protection of electronic devices mainly focused on circuits. Yet, as the strength of potential attackers escalates, scientists proposed additional protective measures, such as super-surface protective layers that could change their physical structure to regulate incoming electromagnetic waves. However, this solid-state protection struggles to simultaneously handle issues of heating and electronic interference.
The plasma-based energy shield is a radical new approach reminiscent of tai chi principles – rather than directly countering destructive electromagnetic assaults it endeavours to convert the attacker’s energy into a defensive force.
Chen’s team first proved mathematically that the strategy did not violate the fundamental laws of physics and then they put their ambition into practice, using very little electrical energy to create a stable layer of plasma.
According to the paper, when attacking electromagnetic waves come into contact with these charged particles, the particles can immediately absorb the energy of the electromagnetic waves and then jump into a very active state.
If the enemy continues to attack or even increases the power at this time, the plasma will suddenly increase its density in space, reflecting most of the incidental energy like a mirror, while the waves that enter the plasma are also overwhelmed by avalanche-like charged particles.
“The thicker the plasma, the better the protective effect,” Chen and his colleagues said after summarising the experiment data. “Once the high-power microwave subsides, the plasma promptly reverts to its original state due to the absence of external energy sustaining it,” they added.
The Chinese military’s requirements for the energy shield in addition to strong protective capabilities include a lack of interference with passing low-power electromagnetic waves because protected drones or missiles must also be able to send or receive signals.
To stop enemies trying to penetrate the plasma by changing the microwave frequency the effective response frequency of the energy shield should be as wide as possible. Another fundamental challenge is that the energy-generating device itself must withstand high-powered microwave attacks while keeping its size, mass and energy consumption as small as possible.
Chen’s team said it was working on these issues. – South China Morning Post
