Non-linear systems

Solitons are special wave pulses which interact with one another so as to keep their basic identity and so that they act as particles.

Possony, Stefan. Scientific Advances Hold Dramatic Prospects for Psy-ops. Defense & Foreign Affairs. P.34 (1983, July)

[...]Let us cut the story to the minimum. The original model, according to which the blood-brain barrier cannot be broken, was derived from the axiom that electromagnetic waves interact with tissue in a linear manner. However, it turned out that the molecular vibrations caused by a stimulating extracellular electromagnetic field are non-linear. Utterly unexpectedly, they take the form of soliton waves which can transfer energy along long molecular chains. By 1982 the term "soliton" finally made it to the technical dictionaries. Here is a definition from the 1982 McGraw-Hill scientific-technical dictionary: "A soliton wave...propagates without dispersing its energy over larger and larger regions of space." As I understand it, it would be more correct to say: "A soliton wave propagates suddenly acquired energy, or energy imparted by shock, without dispersing it." Significance? Extracellular disturbances such as acoustic or electromagnetic bursts can be propagated across the cell membrane. In this, non-linearities in molecular dynamics rather than chemical kinetics are the key. Put differently, the 12-magnitude energy deficit is overcome, not by brute force, but by the formation of solitons. Visualize the brain and its environment as structures of waves, and assume that shock waves create solitons. Then imagine that modern electronics with their flexibility, accuracy and speed are put to work. In addition, the range of resonances probably will be increased. Hence many frequencies, and several options for the transmission of energy across the membranes of brain cells may become available. This may imply that the brain cells will be reachable diversely and flexibly, and perhaps routinely.


Tennenbaum, Jonathan. Some ABCs of Electromagnetic Anti-Personnel Weapons. Executive Intelligence Review. Executive Intelligence Review Special Report, Pg. 9 (1988, Feb). 317 Pennsylvania Ave. S.E., 2nd Floor. Washington, DC 20003 (202) 544-7010

Electromagnetic pulse anti-personnel weapons have many scientific and technical features in common with the laser weapons under development in the American and Soviet anti-missile defense programs. Both use electromagnetic radiation, propagating at 300,000 kilometers per second, to achieve their destructive effect. Both require compact power sources, generators of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., lasers, magnetrons, gyrotrons, etc.), beam radiator and focusing apparatus (e.g., optics for lasers, wave guides and phased-array antennas for microwave weapons), and computerized control systems. In both cases, also, the maximum effect of these weapons is obtained by "tuning" or "tailoring" the output to the characteristics of the target. The chief peculiarity of EP anti-personnel weapons lies in their exploitation of highly non-linear effects of electromagnetic radiation upon living organisms. Typically, these weapons employ complicated pulse shapes and pulse trains, involving several frequencies and modulations which can range over a wide spectrum from extremely low frequencies (ELF) into the hundred gigahertz range. Thus, although state-of-the-art technology permits construction of mobile systems of extremely high output power (up to 10 megawatts average power, peak pulsed powers of many gigawatts), it is not the high power per se which determines the lethality of the system, but rather its ability to "couple" the output effectively into the target and to exploit non-linear biological action. While high output power may be used to obtain range and breadth of effects and penetration into enclosures and defenses, the minimum lethal "dose" on target will typically be orders of magnitude less than that which would be required to kill by mere heating, in the manner of a microwave oven. The closest analogy to a sophisticated EP anti-personnel weapon is provided by powerful chemical weapons, such as nerve gases having rapid, fatal effects at extremely low concentration. In the latter case, the effect is mediated by molecules which enter nerve synapses and other critical areas and disrupt normal functions without massive destruction of tissue. The poison acts on the higher levels of organization of living process. Furthermore, it should be understood that molecules themselves are nothing but electromagnetic configurations. That is, the molecules (e.g., of the nerve gas) act via electromagnetic fields, by exchange of electromagnetic energy with other molecules. Hence, it should hardly be surprising to discover that the same effects can be induced by electromagnetic radiation alone -without the presence of the molecules! It suffices actually to identify the precise geometrical characteristics of the electromagnetic action associated with the given substance, and then just "mimic" the molecular action by a carefully "tailored" signal. Once this principle is understood, biophysical research can define the most appropriate pulse forms for weapon applications, independently of any specific chemical "model." That this is by no means a mere theoretical possibility is proven by a wide variety of experiments on the biological effects of "tailored" electromagnetic radiation, carried out in the West and East over the last 40 years. For obvious reasons, experiments involving lethal effects are mostly classified. To illustrate some of the relevant research areas, we present a couple of examples of well-documented non-lethal effects. Since the 1950s much scientific attention has been paid, in the East and West, to effects on the brain of 1) psychotropic drugs (LSD, depressants, stimulants, etc.) and 2) electrical stimulation of specific areas of the brain by implanted electrodes. Among other things, experiments showed that minute currents induced by electrical stimulation could evoke profound changes in brain function, similar to those obtained by psychotropic drugs, the latter often at extremely low concentrations. This work reveals some "deep secrets" of the physiological organization of the brain, secrets having potentially far-reaching military implications. Since the early 1970s a number of published experiments have shown that similar, profound neurological effects can be induced without the "substantial" intervention of drugs or electrodes, by electromagnetic fields applied from outside the experimental subject. Typical of these are those of Dr. Jose Delgado and Dr. Ross Adey. Delgado applied a slowly modulated weak magnetic field (several Gauss, pulsed at less than 100 Hz) to the heads of monkeys via external coils. Depending upon the precise modulation frequency used, specific effects were induced. Thus, one frequency caused the animals to fall asleep, and another triggered aggression, each time with very specific neurophysiological effects on specific areas of the brain. Adey and others have obtained similar neurophysiological effects with a modulated, low-power, radio-frequency field, with modulation frequencies in the range of the internal "brain waves" (EEG). Absorbed power levels were very low -on the order of a thousandth of a watt per square centimeter. Related experiments have shown that internal EEG waves can be entrained and modified, demonstrating the possibility of direct information transfer to the brain via modulated radio-frequency (RF) fields. Thus, below the threshold of lethal effects, a certain potential for subtle psychological manipulation by means of "tailored" electromagnetic signals cannot be excluded. Lethal effects have been obtained at power levels not very much higher than in behavior modification experiments. Again, it is not so much the net power as the exact form of the applied series of pulses, which makes the difference. One laboratory device, used in brain research, kills experimental animals with a single microwave pulse of 1/6 second duration. While we have concentrated here on the brain as a key target of EP weapons, this is by no means the only target. The central nervous system more generally, and vital organs, especially the heart, are all possible targets. Moreover, a very insidious deployment of EP would be to degrade the overall health of persons in a certain area by long-term, low-level irradiation. There is evidence that the latter has already been tried by the Soviets in a number of cases. Much more could be said about non-linear biological effects exploitable by EP weapons. In this short introduction, however, we want to move on to another key problem of these weapons; how to generate and deliver the destructive action to the target. This Special Report presents some details on high-power RF and microwave generators. There are two essential types of devices which can be used in EP weapons: oscillators using beams of electrons or plasmas, and solid-state devices. Solid state radar, whose development is driven by the needs of military aircraft and missiles, is one of the fastest advancing areas of electronic technology today. Although solid state devices do not (yet!) reach the very high powers attained by electron beam devices, miniaturization makes it possible to build today complete, highly sophisticated phased-array radars of suitcase-size, with several kilowatts of average output. The principal advantage of this technology is that it permits extremely sophisticated "tailoring" of pulse shape in space and time, in a compact system, with direct coupling to high-speed computers. This is exactly what is needed in order to optimally exploit non-linear biological effects. What is lost in brute power is thus gained in efficiency. Recent breakthroughs in what is called "high-temperature superconductivity" open up the perspective that both types of EP generation technology--electron beam as well as solid state-- are going to undergo revolutionary improvements in the years immediately ahead. The impact of this revolution cannot even be estimated at this time, but it will certainly mean radical reductions in the size of devices having a given electromagnetic "firepower". As our discussion of biological effects already indicated, electromagnetic anti-personnel weapons depend essentially on "tuning" the output signal to the target. This goes not only for the frequency and amplitude of the signal, but for its entire space-time "shape." Figure 6, for example, is drawn from thermographs of models of the human body irradiated by RF radiation of the same frequency, but with field geometries. These and other experiments demonstrate, that the areas of maximum absorption of electromagnetic energy inside the body depend on the geometry of the incident wave. By choosing the right geometry, the energy can be focused into any desired area, such as the brain. A sophisticated EP weapon must thus be able to project a specific geometry of electromagnetic field onto a distant object, over a given terrain and in given surroundings. Without going into technical details of waveguides and various antenna types, we shall briefly present one of the relevant techniques: the principle of the phased array. A phased-array antenna consists of an assemblage of many individually controlled emitting (or receiving) elements, placed in a fixed geometrical arrangement. The output field of the array is the sum of the waves emitted by the individual elements. By electronically controlling the relative phases of these individual signals, the output field can be given any desired "shape" and direction, limited only by the wavelength used, the number of elements and the size of the array. The huge soviet ABM radar at Krasnoyarsk, for example, contains an 83-meter diameter phased array of thousands of elements. The output can consist of a single, very narrow beam, or hundreds of independently directed beams, all depending on the "phasing" of the elements. This radar can track large numbers of missiles simultaneously, without any mechanical motion of the antenna. The functioning of phased-array antennae is thus closely related to holography, or three-dimensional photography. In a hologram, a photographic plate records interference patterns, corresponding to the phase relationships of laser light reflected from the object. When the holographic plate is illuminated by a laser, the phase relationships are "reconstituted" and the viewer has the impression of seeing a three dimensional object. The ensemble of elements of a phased-array antenna takes the place of the holographic plate, but at a much longer wavelength than visible light (centimeters and millimeters instead of fractions of a micrometer). When operated in receiving mode, the phased array obtains much more information than an ordinary antenna; like the hologram, it measures entire electromagnetic field geometries, not merely a one-dimensional, electromagnetic "signal". The holographic principle underlying phased-array systems points to a potentiality for creating any desired three-dimensional, electromagnetic field distribution around a target object, from a distance, correcting for reflections, obstacles and other interference. Moreover, the field can be transformed and shifted from one location to another in space within a fraction of a second. Thus, an ideal EP-weapon could attack many individual targets, simultaneously or in rapid succession. One or more phased arrays would be used in receiving and transmitting modes to "lock on" to selected targets, and determine the necessary geometry of the attack pulses. To fully exploit such potentialities, the weapon would require for its target-acquisition and beam-control systems, sophisticated high speed computers, able to perform complex computations of the "inverse-scattering" type. Miniaturized systems of this sort are well within the reach of 'fifth generation' computer technology. "Hybrid" digital-analog systems would be simpler, smaller, and faster still. There is much overlap in requirements between EP weapons and systems developed for strategic defense (SDI). For concrete weapons applications, simpler devices will often suffice; trade-offs can be made among range, output power, extent of three dimensional field control, and sophistication of biological effects. As was the case earlier with nuclear weapons, many people may be tempted to think that EP anti-personnel weapons constitute "absolute weapons" against which no defense is possible. A glance at the history of the SDI, or of military science and technology in general, shows why no such thing ever has or will exist. An obvious aspect of defense is to detect, locate, and neutralize weapons before they can be used. Antenna structures of EP weapons are resonant structures which can be detected in various ways. Of course, the EP weapon declares its existence as soon as it is turned on, and itself becomes vulnerable to rapid counterattack if readiness and appropriate means are at hand. The famous "Faraday cage" and other forms of electromagnetic shielding can provide some protection against EP weapons, especially if the characteristics of the EP signal are known in advance and countermeasures are devised accordingly. Unfortunately, a sophisticated weapon can "tailor" its pulse to get through nearly any given kind of shielding utilizing non-linear, inverse-scattering techniques and a process known as "self-induced transparency". A Faraday cage under certain conditions can be transformed into an antenna, focusing the signal on the inside and even enhancing the effect for the unfortunate persons inside. In theory, biological effects can be offset by creating a controlled "electromagnetic environment" around the target, with the effect of "detuning" the target relative to the anticipated signal of the attacking EP weapon - a kind of "immunization". To realize such potentialities will require a major research effort, but one having important spinoffs for biology and medicine. The application of holographic principles to EP weaponry has profound implications for the future shape of warfare. The deployment of such weapons and the defense against them cannot be understood in terms of "point-to-point trajectory" concepts associated with conventional firearms and artillery. Actually, even in the past, competent military doctrine has always emphasized the geometries of "fields of fire" generated by overall deployment of mobile weapons over a given area, as opposed to mere "straight-line" action of an individual weapon. The geometrical aspect becomes much more explicit in the era of EP weaponry, in which firepower counts as the ability to control the electromagnetic field geometry on the field of battle, through coordinated deployment and operation of mobile phased arrays and related devices. The situation could therefore be summed up as follows: in practice, both the use of EP weapons and defense against them is a tricky, sophisticated business, if the antagonists are at comparable levels of technology, knowledge, and preparation. A surprise attack against an unprepared enemy is simpler and very devastating. In this respect, EP weapons are no exception to the general rules of warfare. Although modern research into this area goes back to Louis Pasteur, the most consistent and sustained efforts were launched in Russia by V.I. Vernadsky (1863-1945), the physicist biologist, geologist, and architect of the Soviet atom bomb project. As founding director of the State Radium Institute in Leningrad, Vernadsky launched in 1926 a crash program of fundamental research into the "physical geometry" of living processes, which would include a comprehensive study of their interaction with electromagnetic radiation. Out of Vernadsky's program came the Soviet military slogan: "He who controls the entire electromagnetic spectrum will dominate the world." It was Vernadsky who coined the now-common term "biosphere," emphasizing the fact that the totality of living matter on the Earth forms a coherent process in powerful mutual interaction with the climate and geophysical conditions of the planet. This work was the basis of the concept of "planetary war" advocated by Marshal Ogarkov, according to which all available scientific knowledge concerning the biosphere is to be mobilized in war in order to crush the enemy. This includes development of means of weather modification, manipulation of the ionosphere and other layers of the atmosphere, large-scale biological warfare, triggering of natural disasters, as well as global electromagnetic warfare. Vernadsky's efforts provided the scientific atmosphere for the launching of the most powerful current of Soviet biophysical research, that associated with Alexander Gurvich(1874-1954). Gurvich was the first to systematically demonstrate that absorption of minute amounts of "tuned" electromagnetic radiation, down to individual quanta, can decisively influence the course of biological events. This is now known in the Soviet literature as the "informational role of electromagnetic radiation in biological systems". Recently, it was announced that the U.S.S.R. intends to use its new, heavy space-lift system Energiya, with five times the payload of the American space shuttle, to station some very large structures in orbit. Besides a larger version of their present space station, one of the plans is for a huge "solar power station" which would relay its energy to Earth via a high-power laser or a beam of microwaves. (A similar project was considered by the U.S. NASA, but rejected because of the of inadvertently irradiating populated areas.) With a proposed several gigawatts of continuous power at its disposal, such a station could carry out weather modification as well as electromagnetic warfare on a large scale. Of course, compact nuclear reactors (which are already being using in radar reconnaissance satellites), especially in a pulsed mode, and MHD devices, could be much better energy sources for a military orbital system. Given a sufficient supply of energy, a large phased-array EP system in orbit could attack entire cities, with loss of life comparable to nuclear weapons, but without collateral damage. However, it is not necessary to station EP weapons in space in order to have firepower on a "strategic" scale. Using combinations of phased-array installations with a very large effective aperture, it is possible to project lethal electromagnetic signals over thousands of kilometers. At shorter ranges, incoming missiles and aircraft could be destroyed using EMP-like effects.


******

Special thanks to Cheryl Welsh