Charged particle cannon

Charged particle cannons or simply particle-beam weapons fire a compressed stream of highly energized particles. The compression and heating converts the particles into plasma, which is fired through a magnetic nozzle as a beam. Usually, hydrogen atoms are the fuel source for a charged particle beam; but other materials are sometimes used, including noble gasses like Krypton and Argon.

Many charged particle cannons can double as beam cannons; however these should not be confused with the Hybrid cannon.

Because of their complexity and high power requirements, charged particle weapons are fairly uncommon, and often confused with the much more powerful Anti-Proton or "AP Cannons".

History

It is not known when charged particle weapons were first developed; the first recorded use was by the Gudersnipe Army during the Second Chaotic Period.