I found this- what do you all think?So to start off, a disclaimer: I don't have any qualifications in physics whatsoever, but I have taken elementary physics courses up to quantum mechanics, so I have an amateur interest in the topic, being an Index/Railgun fan myself.
As the OP noted, the to aru wiki gives a very vague explanation about the Meltdowner ability and they claim it has to do with "stopping" electrons. From a quantum standpoint, this is nonsense, since by the Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, a "stopped" electron would simply be a standing wave that spans infinite space. Clearly this does not match up with the anime depiction of Mugino's ability. So I thought I would throw all that out the window and start with the assumption that Mugino has the ability to control electrons (more details on what that actually entails later).
There are several properties of the Meltdowner we need to explain:
- Heat: clearly it is very hot, given its name, and how it is seemingly able to ignite flammable materials
- Piercing/Blocking: In addition, it seems to have the ability to "phase through" metal with a short delay besides actually melting it. She is also able to form a shield that instantaneously blocks projectiles (as opposed to simply melting them)
- Stationary: Mugino is able to hold her Meltdowner in a ball-shaped stationary form
- Beam: She is then able to fire off beams, while maintiaining the stationary form.
So here is my assumption: Mugino is able to control not just how electrons move, but also manipulate their quantum state. To explain her abilities, I will use the concepts of wave-particle duality of nature and quantum superposition.
According to the wave-particle duality, an electron is both a wave and a particle. From a quantum perspective, "wave-ness" and "particle-ness" are just properties of the electron. So if we observe an electron in a certain way, it may collapse to either a wave or a particle state, but without measurement, it just exists in a superposition of the two. In nature, an electron has very little mass (the defining characteristic of a particle) and quite a large wavelength. The Meltdowner is very clearly not a wave-type attack in the slightest; it is either a beam or a ball of electrons.
So what might be happening is that Mugino forces electrons to behave more like particles than waves to the extent that their wavelength is so long that it isn't even noticeable. On the other hand, the electrons become significantly more massive. The massive electrons give the Meltdowner its piercing/blocking properties quite trivially; you can block or break through stuff with more stuff.
The Meltdowner is hot because even though the electrons aren't moving, their kinetic energy remains the same. However, as a very large particle with very high mass and very little wavelength, this means each electron stores excessive energy, which it dissipates by vibrating in place. The green glow of the Meltdowner is not the electrons themselves, but the surrounding air being heated up.
Finally, the transition between stationary/beam forms. Heisenberg's uncertainty principle states that there is a trade-off between knowing momentum and knowing position. With control over the states of electrons, Mugino can essentially change the measurement. If she needs the electrons in stationary mode, she measures their position. If she needs them in beam mode, she measures their velocity.
“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!?”
Misaka Mikoto gave an out-of-character shout.
As one of the seven Level 5s, she was known as the Railgun, Academy City’s #3.
However, even her life was in danger when attacked by one of the colossal weapons that had ended the nuclear age.
She was up against the Rush, an Information Alliance Second-Generation Object.
Its main cannons were rapid-fire beam Gatling guns created by strapping together five barrels each. A single shot contained enough firepower to melt a warship into an orange puddle and it was accurately firing them at a rate of several thousand every minute.
Beam weapons were a military technology using electron beams.
That was good news for Mikoto who could control electricity. The barrage would normally have been unavoidable, but they bent “unnaturally” just before hitting and flew off in a different direction.
However, this was far from a perfect defense.
“Oh, crap!! This thing’s more powerful than that #4! I’m going to be pushed back at this rate!!”
“Yeah, a fighter isn’t going to do anything against an Object. In the mock battle, it took out 1500 of them and I’m pretty sure that in reality they just called it there because they were tired of counting.' Quenser stabbed the tip of his shovel into the ground and leaned on it with both hands. 'After all, Objects use anti-air lasers that are powered by a high-output reactor. Fighters may be able to fly at Mach 2 or 3, but they’re no match for the speed of light. The instant the Object gets a lock, they’re already shot down. I’ve heard that the armored units they mention in history classes were saved by dust and dirt and other stuff near the surface refracting the lasers, but the high altitude that fighters excel in is so clear that there’s nothing to obstruct the laser.'" - Heavy Object, Volume 1, Chapter 1
"If an Object gets a lock on them, it's all over. It'll just shoot them down with a laser that can fire anywhere in the sky at the speed of light." - Heavy Object, Volume 2, Chapter 2
The Bright Hopper was specialized to carry out history’s fastest combat, so all of its weapons were laser beams. That monster literally attacked at the speed of light. Naturally, its main cannons were high output laser beams.
It's not like a feat breakdown or a calc but someone trying to break down the science behind Mugino's lasers and explain how it works using IRL physics.I can’t even comprehend half that shit written
I don’t really see it as anything other than direct manipulation of electronsIt's not like a feat breakdown or a calc but someone trying to break down the science behind Mugino's lasers and explain how it works using IRL physics.
It was interesting so I posted here, got it from browsing stack overflow surprisingly.
"…Haaamazuraaa…."
With that one word, an intense chill ran across Hamazura‘s entire body.
He recognized that way of calling his name. And once he recalled that, the power that had just flown by clicked into place as well. It was Meltdowner. It was a type of power that manipulated electrons. It didn‘t manipulate the waves or the particles. It manipulated and fired the electrons themselves. That power was recorded as belonging to the #4 Level 5. Its user had…had…had once been defeated by Hamazura Shiage.
That's what it's saying- it doesn't debunk or contradict any source material. It's trying to explain how being able to control Wave-Particle Duality like Mugino can lets you shoot electron beams using physics.I don’t really see it as anything other than direct manipulation of electrons
I'm gonna steal thisAnd I don’t give a fuck about anyone here bitching about crossover material written by the author. Basically WoG.
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