From
QM 3.0
U.N. Quantum Corps Field Manual (Operations)
1.
The
Operational Environment – Physical Characteristics of the Nanoworld
a. It’s really, really small
(NOTE: Think relationship of a nanometer to a football field. If ANAD were a grain of sand on a football
field (about 1mm), a football field at the same scale would be equal to 78% of the distance of Earth to Moon)
b. Brownian motion
- or pedesis (from Ancient Greek: πήδησις /pέːdεːsis/ "leaping") is the
random motion of particles suspended in a fluid
(a liquid
or a gas)
resulting from their collision with the fast-moving atoms
or molecules
in the gas or liquid.[1]
(Imagine a large balloon in a football stadium. The
balloon is so large that it lies on top of many members of the crowd. Because
they are excited, these fans hit the balloon at different times and in
different directions with the motions being completely random. Consider now the
force exerted at a certain time. We might have 20 supporters pushing right, and
21 other supporters pushing left, where each supporter is exerting equivalent
amounts of force. In this case, the forces exerted towards the left and right
are imbalanced in favor of the left; the balloon will move slightly to the
left. This type of imbalance exists at all times, and it causes random motion
of the balloon. If we look at this situation from far above, so that we cannot
see the supporters, we see the large balloon as a small object animated by
erratic movement.)
c. Van der Waals forces and atomic
forces (everything is ‘sticky’)
In physical
chemistry, the van der
Waals forces (or van der Waals interaction), named after Dutch
scientist Johannes
Diderik van der Waals,
are the residual attractive or repulsive forces between molecules
or atomic groups that do not arise from a covalent bond, or ionic bonds.[1]
The ability of geckos –
which can hang on a glass surface using only one toe – to climb on sheer
surfaces has been attributed to the van der Waals forces between these surfaces
and the spatulae, or microscopic projections, which cover the hair-like setae
found on their footpads.
d.
Navigating
and maneuvering through molecules and atoms
It’s
like walking across the seabed, or a room full of molasses, crisscrossed by
strong currents, or like walking through a sleet storm.
2. Molecular Configurations (Molecular
Ops)
a. Atoms
tend to arrange themselves in the most stable patterns possible, which means
that they have a tendency to complete or fill their outermost electron orbits.
They join with other atoms to do just that. The force that holds atoms together
in collections known as molecules is referred to as a chemical bond.
There are two main types and some secondary types of chemical bonds
b. The
IONIC bond involves a transfer of an electron, so one atom gains an electron
while one atom loses an electron. One of the resulting ions carries a negative
charge (anion), and the other ion carries a positive charge (cation). Because
opposite charges attract, the atoms bond together to form a molecule.
c. The
most common bond in organic molecules, a COVALENT bond involves the sharing of
electrons between two atoms. The pair of shared electrons forms a new orbit
that extends around the nuclei of both atoms, producing a molecule. There are
two secondary types of covalent bonds that are relevant to biology — polar
bonds and hydrogen bonds.
d. Two
atoms connected by a covalent bond may exert different attractions for the
electrons in the bond, producing an unevenly distributed charge. The result is
known as a POLAR BOND, an
intermediate case between ionic and covalent bonding, with one end of the
molecule slightly negatively charged and the other end slightly positively
charged.
e. Because
they’re polarized, two adjacent H2O (water) molecules can form a
linkage known as a HYDROGEN BOND
where the (electronegative) hydrogen atom of one H2O molecule is
electrostatically attracted to the (electropositive) oxygen atom of an adjacent
water molecule.
3.
Managing
Energy
a. ANAD
has propulsors. It has to keep its propulsors
turning in the dense, chaotic atomic environment. Momentum damps quickly. ANAD must be constantly aware of
‘currents’…Brownian motion, van der Waals forces and local atomic bonds, loose
atoms, etc.
4.
The
Nanowarrior’s Code
a. Nanowarriors
don’t leave fellow warriors behind
b. Nanowarriors
fight only the enemy
c. Nanowarriors
don’t harm those who surrender
d. Nanowarriors
destroy only what the mission requires
e. Nanowarriors
treat civilians with respect
f. Nanowarriors
don’t steal
g. Nanowarriors
don’t violate the laws of war
h. Nanowarriors
report violations of the laws of war to their superiors
5.
Types
of Operations
a. The
Spectrum of Conflict - anywhere there
are atoms or threats emerging from molecular world
b. Surveillance
– look for signatures (EM, thermal, acoustic); decoherence wakes for quantum
systems and signature patterns to discern enemy’s intent and direction
(surveillance is passive)
c. Reconnaissance
– active methods (probing, scouting, sweeping) to determine enemy signatures
and patterns, structure, bond types, enemy capabilities, strategy and tactics
(grabbing bits or photons). “Grabbing
structure” is a commonly used technique.
d. Infiltration/Pre-emptive
Actions – masking ANAD as something else (dust particles, rain drops, flies or
mosquitos, etc)
e. Precision
Strike – surgical operation to degrade or destroy a target. Minimize collateral damage or evidence of
presence. There is an attribution
problem like cyber attacks. Sometimes,
WorldNet or Solnet may be used as an axis for strike or assault ops (packet
mobiles).
f. Assault
–a large scale operation. Sometimes
joint or combined arms (with UN Boundary Patrol or BioShield or World
Meteorological Organization for weather control). Battalion-size formations and up are common.
g. General
War – theater or global conflict scale, using mass formations of ANAD-style
units. Extensive damage. An example would be the Containment Wars at
the end of the 21st century.
h. Post-Conflict
– Cleanup, remediation, restoration or protective barriers (like before
Hicks-Newman asteroid hit the eastern Med).
Some civil fab duties, for food, clothing, shelter. This is usually turned over to other UN
agencies.
This
has been a partial excerpt from Chapter 3.0 (Operations) of the Quantum Corps
Field Manual. Future posts to Quantum
Corps Times will provide additional excerpts.
The
next post to the Times comes on
January 2, 2017.
See
you then and have a great holiday.
Phil
B.
