"Edward M. Lerner - Part II of IV - A New Order of Things" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lerner Edward M)

Art had called the meeting to discuss refueling of the starship. Could it be done, were the decision made
to do so? Dramatic INN interview notwithstanding, that was not a given. Meanwhile, Carlos Montoya
and his UPIA bosses were in the initial stages of a witch hunt over the security breach. "Nothing stays
secret forever," was not cutting it as an explanation.

Eva refused to take the bait. It helped, Art supposed, that she could feign ignorance of the sneer. "That is
correct. The high density of storage made possible by BECs is a big plus."

"Until it blows up." After another warning glance from Lothwer, Keffah added, "Indefinite, precise
control of the cooling and the magnetic containment is required."

Spinning charged particles, such as electrons, are tiny magnets. That made it possible, Art knew, to trap
super-cooled atoms inside magnetic fields. It didn't matter whether those atoms were matter or
antimatter. What did matter were the exact characteristics of the field. Clumped too compactly, a BEC
exploded: a so-called "bosenova." Insufficiently confined, and a BEC dispersed--which, with antimatter,
meant explosion at contact with normal matter.

Complex as confinement was, safely holding antimatter was but one step in a long process. A few
subatomic particles at a time, the antimatter was created by high-speed, normal-particle collisions. Those
collision byproducts that were antiparticles had to be captured magnetically before they could encounter
any normal matter. The antiparticles, protons and positrons, were mated, and the resulting antihydrogen
super-cooled for storage as a BEC.

But storage was merely prelude to use. The antimatter atoms had to be transferred from production line
to shipping containers to fuel tanks, without ever touching normal matter. Onboard ship, the antimatter
had to be metered out, with near-infinite precision, into the engines. And absent a space drive to exploit
the enormous energies stored in antimatter, the only use for antimatter was really big bombs.

All these were challenges the K'vithians had evidently overcome. "If not BECs, Keffah, how does
Victorious store its antimatter?" Art asked.

Blink blink. "Safely."

"As Keffah indicated earlier, we have surveyed your infosphere for relevant topics," Lothwer said
hurriedly. "Our technology applies scientific theory not in evidence there. The Foremost suggests it is
premature to discuss specifics."

Art stood and stretched. It didn't take being an ICU exec to break the code: trade secret.

That even made sense. The UP antimatter program was highly classified, but its cost was surely huge.
Himalia base was a whole small town, its population numbering hundreds of scientists, engineers, and
technicians. Its sole support for decades had been the antimatter program. Then there was the steady
succession of scoopships bringing fusion fuel for the antimatter factory. It looked like the Foremost
planned to swap technology for antimatter.

"And how, without specifics, do you expect us to provide refueling assistance?" Eva's sniff of frustration
was no doubt translated by Pashwah Two for the Snakes. The shrug-equivalent in response made her
grind her teeth.