Re: EMP was Why big ships are too good...

>Alpha patticles would not pass through a ship's hull (alpha is stopped
by a
>sheet of paper),  only high energy beta and gamma would pass through
the
>hull (where you would then see Bremstrahlung effect - just as nasty but
>slightly different thing.)

Yes but remember gamma particles will tend to collide with atomic nuclei
within the ships hull and components thus ejecting high energy alpha
particles and slow neutrons and this would be enhanced by the presence
of
armour especially if depleted uranium is used to give increased mass for
the
volume. It is these slower but still high energy particles which will
harm
unprotected systems (including the crew) However this is only the
particle
stream and ignores the effect of electro-magnetic pulse.
When the EMP magnetic flux lines intersect a moving magnetically
susceptible
lump of metal massive eddy currents will be induced (of the order of
thousands of amps). these will melt the gold connections within ICs
swamp the
depletion layers within semiconductors vapourise electrical insulation
etc.
Not to mention magnetising any metal around the ship. This would
probably
also result in emission of free electrons and other charged particles
into
everything within the ship.
However did the ship designers really forget about Faraday cages!!!

Craig Mitchell