"Jonathan Ford" <dwbsla@tin.it> wrote in message
news:rtEHa.102363$pR3.2220413@news1.tin.it...
> About the particle beams. Would it be possible to produce them if the
> particles themselves produced a rotational magnetic field that would
contain
> them? The effect should be similar to a plasma gun, but getting the
> particles moving together to form the correct type of magnetic field would
> be rather hard.
>
> "tiago_simoes" <tiago_simoes2@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:17bad758.0306151601.623f1aad@posting.google.com...
> > > > > And why are they called mines when they're dropped from aircraft?
> > > > >
> >

<snip>

> > In fact, that particle beam thing in the 5th Angel would never have
> > worked, because particle beams dissipate easily in the air, producing
> > vast amounts of radiation in the process. And a circular particle
> > accelerator could only fire in a tangent line to the circle, that is,
> > the Angel could never shoot that out of a vertex.
> >

Couldn't you also use a high-power laser to vaporize the air in front of the
particle beam? That might explain the fact you can see the beams from both
the rifle and the Angel.

                                 Vaughn L.Porter
                                  Not that you'd see the laser anyway...