Magnetic Monopoles

What are they?

Simply put, Magnetic Monopoles would be a new type of subatomic particle. This particle would have either a North or South magetic charge, but not an electric charge. I imagine they would have mass of slightly less than a proton (if that matters to anyone.)

Finding one would be like finding a N end of a magnet without finding a S end. They would be attracted to magnetic fields of the opposite flavor and can be manipulated by using electromagnetic fields.

Additionally, a N and S monopole could pair up and form a bizarre atom which I have dubbed Magnetium. Magnetium could weakly bond with other substances whose molecular or atomic structure provides for something physicists would call a “magnetic moment.” Which just means that part of the molecule has slightly magnetic. (This is not uncommon at all.)

What do they do? Why are they valuable?

There are a few really important uses for magnetic monopoles:

Fusion Reactors

Monopoles allow you to build a really strong magnetic field that can easily be manipulated to fire up the plasma reaction for a fusion generator and contain the plasma.

Ramscoop Drives

Similarly, monopoles provide you with an easy way to funnel and accelerate particles in a ramscoop drive. This increases the efficiency of such drives greatly.

FTL Travel: HyperSpace

Through a generally unspecified means. Monopoles are essential for the mechanism that allows brane-hopping.

How do they fit in the timeline?

Monopoles were officially discovered early in the First Expanse, but it took until the middle of that period for them to really take off as a critical resource. Some conspiracy theorists suspect that they were discovered earlier, but were kept a corporate secret.

The popularization of the brane-hopping drive lead to a “monopole rush” of smaller prospecting ships zipping out as far as they dared to other stars in search of bountiful asteroid belts.

~JohnUghrin - 15 Apr 2004

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