A plasma magnet gives this ramscoop an unparalleled collection area, allowing it to gather incredible amounts of fuel. By driving an oscillating, out-of-phase current through a pair of coils perpendicular to the passing solar wind, a magnetic field can be introduced to the rarefied plasma that permeates space. This field itself drags free electrons in the plasma in a circular path, inducing a current in an enormous virtual loop that itself generates a proportionally larger quasi-static magnetic field - one that is hundreds of kilometers in diameter in the case of the Plasmadyne Scoop.
This magnetic field spans a range far larger than what can be generated by any physical loop of wire of reasonable size, while also sparing a starship from carrying an enormous mass of superconducting wire. It does require a rather large amount of power to function, however, and the interaction with the plasma of the interplanetary medium causes a significant amount of drag.
| Category: | Systems |
|---|---|
| Price: | 30,000,000 |
| Mass: | 60 tons |
| Energy: | 0 + 0.00/s, drawing 540.0/s |
| Outfit Space: | 120 |
| Gun Ports: | 1 |
| Spinal Mounts: | -1 |
| Ramscoop: | 90 (9.49) |