Another question for the brain trust.

[gridlore]

As I work on the second draft of Sideways Solutions, I'm trying to keep an Age of Dreadnaughts feel in ship to ship combat, especially once in laser range, which is around 12 thousand kilometers.

So I'm looking for something that these big UV lasers would use as ammo. Some sort of canister, preferably big and bulky for the main guns, that would be placed in or near the laser mount, consumed on firing, and removed for the next shot.

A big superconducting capacitor? Micronukes using Californium or something? Something unstable that needs a big shell to keep it happy until it is triggered to release its energy to make a big happy laser pulse that dumps all that energy in an enemy ship.

Because I really, really, want to pull an HMS Hood-style "boom" at one or two points.

Any help is appreciated.

Comments

[nodrog]

If you still have your copy of Fire, Fusion and Steel, I believe it talks about this.  It is possible to use an actual chemical explosion to power a laser or EMP pulse through magnetohydrodynamics.  I presume the charge would be about the size of an ordinary Thermos flask.