StarDestroyer.Net BBS

AOTC:ICS describes the LAATs missiles as being confined to a two degree cone. Could some one point me to the proper formula to calculate the intensity of proton torpedo.

If I'm not mistaken, the formula you're looking for is

I=U/(Pi x (d x tan(a))^2). where I is the energy intensity in joule per squared meter, U is the yield of the torpedo in joule, d the distance between target and detonation in meter, and a is the value of the angle in degree.

Don't forget to convert your inputs in SI units, else you'll get nonsensical results .

It's a simple matter of calculating geometry and then dividing the yield by the surface area, for any shape. But I don't recall proton torpedoes being said to have the same characteristics as LAAT missiles.

Darth Wong wrote:

It's a simple matter of calculating geometry and then dividing the yield by the surface area, for any shape. But I don't recall proton torpedoes being said to have the same characteristics as LAAT missiles.

No, not that I can recall. I assumed, probably incorrectly that since proton torpedos are described a being focused. I could use the LAAT missile 2 degree cone to make and estimate. The LAAT missiles 100 kt yield isn't to far off the old WEG, PT yeild estimates. I don't recall if the EU every described how tight the focussing is.

Spartan wrote:I assumed, probably incorrectly that since proton torpedos are described a being focused.

No, that's correct. But I recall it was 97% and not 98%. Oh well. It doesn't matter anyway since you have to know the yield and the rate first.

Darth Wong wrote:It's a simple matter of calculating geometry and then dividing the yield by the surface area, for any shape. But I don't recall proton torpedoes being said to have the same characteristics as LAAT missiles.

Its stated in the OT:ICS under the X-wing entry "focused nuclear explosives") but you can generally extrapolate that from the fact that proton torpedo detonations rarely seem to inflict any damage on the launchign starifghters (remember the "X-wing game launch from 2 km" crap Stackpole injected?) For a multi-GT/TT warhead, I'm pretty sure teh radiation intensity would be sufficient to hurt if not destroy most fighters only a few km (or less!) away from the target.

And if you really think about it, how difficult is it to do that, given the existence of ray and particle shield technologies?

And now that I think about it the AOTC:ICS entry is kind of explicit in noting that the LAAT missiles could utilize fusion or antimatter, directed, beamed, fan or cone, unidirectional, concentratged heat, or a wide variety of effects. (Hell, don't we even see that LAAT missiles don't create huge fireballs? The missiles that struck the Techno union starship were powerful to knock that over, yet they didn't create a gigantic fireball or blast wave that I remember.)

nightmare wrote:

No, that's correct. But I recall it was 97% and not 98%. Oh well. It doesn't matter anyway since you have to know the yield and the rate first.

Well, I intended to experiment with different yield to find the most likly one, after calculating the intensity of a tubolaser. I not clear though on what you mean be needing to the "rate" first, though? Could you elaborate on that?

Energy delivery rate to target; work. Since this is a nuclear weapon, it should be very high, but it's exotic so you'll have to make assumptions. Basically just go with regular nuclear exothermic reaction speeds.

EDIT: Side note - in the scene with N-1 Naboo fighters up against the TF droid control ship, fireballs the size at least 150 m can be seen. These are either flak bursts from the TF donut (ouch since it only had lasers), or non-focused variants of proton torpedoes, which the N-1s were carrying.

Hmmm. PT are stated to be fusion devices, so I wouldn't think their power is that different from real-life nukes. Although a pure fusion device; such as laser induced weapon might be a better model.