A relativistic kill vehicle (RKV) or relativistic bomb is a hypothetical weapon system sometimes found in science fiction. The details of such systems vary widely, but the key common feature is the use of a massive impactor travelling at a significant fraction of light speed to strike the target. At these relativistic velocities the mass could carry immense amounts of kinetic energy, potentially several times that of its rest mass energy equivalent (i.e. the amount of energy that would be released if its rest mass were totally converted into free energy). A kill vehicle is a term from space weapon development and science fiction which denotes either a kinetic projectile or an explosive warhead supposed to impact on or near (in the case of the warehead) a target. ... Many science fiction stories feature a variety of fanciful and not-so-fanciful weapons. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Cherenkov effect in a swimming pool nuclear reactor. ... Kinetic energy is the energy that a body possesses as a result of its motion. ... The term mass in special relativity is used in a couple of different ways, occasionally leading to a great deal of confusion. ...

RKVs have been proposed as a method of interstellar warfare, especially in settings where faster than light travel or sensors are impossible. By travelling near the speed of light an RKV could substantially limit the amount of early warning detection time. Furthermore, since the destructive effects of the RKV are carried by its kinetic energy, destroying the vehicle near its target would do little to reduce the damage; the cloud of particles or vapor would still be travelling at nearly the same speed and would have little time to disperse. Indeed, some versions of the RKV concept call for the RKV to explode shortly before impact to shower a wide region of space. In fiction, an Interstellar War is a war between two enemies, whose respective headquarters lie in different star systems. ... Faster-than-light (also superluminal or FTL) communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light. ...

Since they would likely be difficult to provide much terminal guidance to, RKVs are usually proposed as a strategic weapon targeted against large and relatively immobile targets such as planets. Accelerating a mass to such velocities in the first place will likely require vast amounts of energy and large, unwieldy accelerators. The eight planets and three dwarf planets of the Solar System. ...

An RKV could theoretically be launched using any of the spacecraft propulsion techniques that are capable of accelerating starships to relativistic velocities, such as antimatter rockets, Bussard ramjet systems, or nuclear pulse propulsion (see also relativistic rockets). Since an RKV would be unmanned, higher accelerations could be used (though with most propulsion methods high acceleration may not be the most efficient approach). A remote camera captures a close-up view of a Space Shuttle Main Engine during a test firing at the John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County, Mississippi Spacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v. ... The fictional starship Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... An antimatter rocket is a proposed type of rocket that uses antimatter as its power source. ... Bussard ramjet The Bussard ramjet method of spacecraft propulsion was proposed in 1960 by the physicist Robert W. Bussard and popularized by Carl Sagan in the television series and subsequent book Cosmos as a variant of a fusion rocket capable of fast interstellar spaceflight. ... An artists conception of a spacecraft powered by nuclear pulse propulsion Nuclear pulse propulsion (or External Pulsed Plasma Propulsion, as it is termed in one recent NASA document) is a proposed method of spacecraft propulsion that uses nuclear explosions for thrust. ... A relativistic rocket is any spacecraft that is travelling at a velocity close enough to light speed for relativistic effects to become significant. ...

In some science fiction smaller relativistic projectiles can sometimes be found depending on the technologies imagined in any particular scenario. In the movie Eraser, for example, characters used man-portable "gauss rifles" that were able to fire bullets at relativistic velocities. Man-portable weapons of this type would have extreme issues with recoil, however; accelerating a 1 gram projectile up to a mere 1% of light speed would produce enough force to send a 100kg (220 pound) man flying backward at 30 meters per second (98 feet per second or 60 miles per hour). A further difficulty is reaching such high speeds over such a short distance; to reach 1% of light speed over the length of a one-meter accelerator would reqire (or over 450 billion g); of acceleration. Space-based RKVs have the advantage of being able to accelerate over a vastly longer distance and period of time. Eraser is a 1996 action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Vanessa Williams. ... For other uses, see g force. ...

Calculating energy content

Newton's formula for kinetic energy, given as , is only an approximation for the kinetic energy of an object, reasonably accurate for speeds well below c, approximately 3 × 10⁸  m s^-1. For higher speeds, Einstein's formula for kinetic energy, E_k, must be used. Sir Isaac Newton, FRS (4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727) [ OS: 25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727][1] was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, and natural philosopher, regarded by many as the greatest figure in the history of science. ... Kinetic energy is the energy that a body possesses as a result of its motion. ... The speed of light in a vacuum is an important physical constant denoted by the letter c for constant or the Latin word celeritas meaning swiftness. It is the speed of all electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum, not just visible light. ... Einstein redirects here. ...

E_k = γmc² − mc²

Where:
m is the object's mass in kg,
c is the speed of light in m s^-1,
γ is the Lorentz factor, given by: The speed of light in a vacuum is an important physical constant denoted by the letter c for constant or the Latin word celeritas meaning swiftness. It is the speed of all electromagnetic radiation in a vacuum, not just visible light. ... It has been suggested that Lorentz term be merged into this article or section. ...

Where v is the velocity of the object in question.

Therefore, expanded our equation is:

Examples of RKVs in fiction

Some science fiction novels featuring RKVs are Charles R. Pellegrino's The Killing Star and Flying to Valhalla. W. Michael Gear's "Forbidden Borders" trilogy, Requiem for the Conqueror, Relic of Empire and Countermeasures also include RKVs. In A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, the destruction of a human civilization is preceded by a RKV assault. In Iron Sunrise by Charles Stross, attempts are made to obtain the deactivation codes which will stop a destroyed planet's automated RKV retaliation from destroying another world. In David Weber's Honor Harrington series, RKVs are mentioned as a historical weapon, later banned as uncivilized. In Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, a drone traveling at relativistic speeds changes the outcome of a battle by destroying a much larger enemy battlecruiser as well as, accidentally, part of a moon. In Larry Niven's 'Known Space' series (specifically the 'Man-Kzin Wars' shared-world era), RKVs were used as part of the counterattack against the Kzinti occupation of the Centauri system, impacting against the planet Wunderland with a combined energy release equalling 12 gigatons of TNT. Some notable science fiction novels, in alphabetical order by title: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke 334 by Thomas M. Disch An Age by Brian Aldiss The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard... The cover of Ghosts of the Titanic (2001), one of Charles R. Pellegrinos most notable books. ... A countermeasure is a system (usually for a military application) designed to prevent weapons from acquiring and/or destroying a target. ... A Fire Upon the Deep (1992) is a science fiction novel written by Vernor Vinge. ... Vernor Steffen Vinge (IPA: ) (born February 10, 1944) is a mathematician, computer scientist and science fiction author who is best known for his Hugo award-winning novels A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky, as well as for his 1993 essay The Technological Singularity, in which... Iron Sunrise is a hard science fiction novel by author Charles Stross, which follows the events in Singularity Sky. ... Charles Stross at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow Charles David George Stross (born Leeds, October 18, 1964) is a writer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. ... Honor Harrington from Honor Among Ememies cover, by David Mattingly. ... Honor Stephanie Harrington is a fictional character, the eponymous heroine of a series of science fiction books set in the Honorverse, written by David Weber and published by Baen Books. ... Joe Haldeman at Worldcon 2005 in Glasgow Joe Haldeman (born June 9, 1943) is an American science fiction author. ... The Forever War. ... Larry Niven Laurence van Cott Niven (born April 30, 1938) is a US science fiction author. ... Known Space is the fictional setting of several science fiction novels and short stories written by author Larry Niven. ... The Kzin (plural Kzinti) are a fictional, very warlike and bloodthirsty race of felinoid aliens in Larry Nivens Known Space series. ...

In the webcomic Schlock Mercenary, RKVs of various sorts are used, such as the cee-sabots deployed the Partnership Collective fleet^[1] and the Tohdfraug assault on the planet Qlaviql.^[2] Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Schlock Mercenary Schlock Mercenary is a webcomic by Howard Tayler. ...

One of the earliest, if not the earliest examples come from E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series. The Lensman series is a serial science fiction space opera by E. E. Smith. ...

Another example is the Magnetic Accelerator Cannon(MAC)from the Halo series of books and video games. The full-sized versions of MAC guns are mounted on some space ships and on Orbital Defense Platforms. There is a miniaturized version called a gauss cannon which is mounted on the back of some Warthogs (all-terrain cars in the series).

References

1. ^ Taylor, Howard (2000). Schlock Mercenary for Sunday, November 5, 2000. Retrieved on 2006-03-20.
2. ^ Taylor, Howard (2005). Schlock Mercenary for Sunday, August 28, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-03-20.