PPC Particle Projection Cannon are a particular kind of cannon that use fusion-derived plasma particles from the reactor as projectiles. In spite of the insignificant (for the reactor's working) removed mass, the extremely high speed and heat that they reach make them devastating projectiles.         To speed up the particles a synchrotron is used. This is a particle accelerator with a toroidal shape. Along the vacuum of the internal chamber there is a series of superconductor magnets and radiofrequency units that produce the accelerator field. The name of this accelerator is derived from its working. During the acceleration phase there is a synchronism between the particle's motion and the electrical field that speed up the particles; continuously increasing the frequency of the electrical field and the intensity of the magnetic filed that maintains the particles in a round orbit. The accelerated mass nearly reaches the speed of light, though it can not match or surpass it according to Einstein's theory of relativity. When the particles reach their maximum speed, they increase their mass up to 2%. Then the particles are ready to be fired. A series of electromagnets drive the accelerated particles toward the cannon's nozzle, where the particles are directed to the target. The PPC's reload time is represented by the seconds needed to speed up the particles.         The damage caused by a PPC shot is the consequence of a kinetic impact (like normal projectiles) and the extreme heat that it produces. ER PPC: Extended Range Particle Projection Cannons work in the same way as standard PPCs; however the synchrotron is smaller than the original one. As the smaller size makes the particles move more quickly, the ER PPC has more powerful superconductor magnets to control the accelerated particles. Also, the barrel features a new superconductive system.         The synchrotron isn't strictly related to the range profiles. The greater obstacle is the weapon's barrel. The particles reach extreme speeds during the acceleartion, and they must be "slowed" before they reach the fragile barrel. Extended Range PPCs employ a composite cylinder as a main structure, strenghtened by four superconductor "rails": these rails force the projectile into a narrow area, not in contact with the barrel. This eventually increased the barrel size, but the projectile decelerator is smaller, and the range profile is greater than in the standard model.         The main difference between Clan and Inner Sphere model is the size of the synchrotron. Inner Sphere models have a bigger acceleration chamber because the raw materials needed to build the magnets are very rare and expensive (Clan manufacturers don't have this problem as their worlds are rich in these materials). As described above, the size of the synchrotron affects particle speed, one shot from an Inner Sphere ER PPC is weaker than the Clan counterpart. Laser:         The LASER (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is a particular kind of MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) referred to visible light's radiations: the physical principles on which is based is the stimulated emission.         Ion atoms and molecules of a material occupy certain stationary conditions characterized by fair energy levels, and they can interact with an electromagnetical radiation: the interaction consists either in the atomic system (which pass from a lower energy level to a higher one) and in the emission of radiation by the atomic system (which at the start is in a higher energy level). The emission can be spontaneus or stimulated: the latter one, for an atomic system on thermic balance, at the wave length of the visible light is weaker than the spontaneus emission and it's very difficult to observe; the equality between stimulated and spontaneus emission can be reached for a wave length of about 60 microns; when the situation reaches the microwave field (1 cm) the stimulated emission is stronger than the spontaneus one.         To make a material act as a laser amplifier, an external action is needed. This action must modify the balance distribution, which means that this action must populate a higher energy level than the lower one; the resulting distribution is called population inversion and the material where it happens is called active material. The amplification will be greater as the inversion will be greater.         To make a particular material to work as a laser oscillator and to generate a coherent light radiation, the material must be placed in a resonant cavity, made with mirrors positioned as two parallel planes; one of these mirrors must be totally reflecting, while the other must be partially reflective. Due to the losses in the cavity (absorption, diffraction, etc.) and the contact with the external environment (transmission trhough the partially reflective mirror), the population inversion alone doesn't ensure the oscillation; to obtain it, the "gain" of the active material must surpass the losses in the cavity. Only when this happens the chain reaction that creates the stmiluated emission makes the laser oscillate. To maintain this situation, the change to a higher energy level must be continous, and this requires a lot of energy. When a threshold limit is surpassed, a part of the radiation leaves the cavity through the partially reflective mirror, while the remaining part is "recycled". The radiation is emitted as a plain wave, as the partially reflecting mirror excludes all the radiations that could be emitted as a bundle; also, the stimulated light appears as a monochromatic ray because the amplified band composes the main part of the beam.         The reactive material used in the lasers depends on which model is examined: one material can act as a laser stimulator only when stimulated by a particular light, and no other colored light can stimulate it. For example, the tungsten (also called wolfram), can be stimulated only with an orange light. Every laser model has its own beam color; large lasers use stravy topaz (burned topaz), which is stimulated only by red light, so the resulting beam is red; medium lasers use red corundum (ruby), and the emitted light is green; the small model uses green beryl (emerald), stimluated only by blue light, there fore the emitted beam is blue.         Though the three models employ different active materials, their characteristics are nearly the same. Every material contains a 0.05% of impurities, usually chrome; the chrome is used a an additional reactive mass to help the main material. The reactive mass is shaped as a cylindrical rod, with plain and parallel silver-plated bases, to act as the mirrors described above. This rod is positioned in the middle of a helicoidal flash tube, and it fires a light impulse for a second or less. The laser action is retarted until the beam is at its maximum power, and this is the laser's recharge time.         The main effect of a laser hit is the fusion of the target, as well as the disruption of intermolecular ties. This effect is possible because the laser hit the target on a single, small area. Armor used on modern day vehicles can dissipate a portion of the laser energy, though they cannot be considered immune from these weapons. Pulse Laser: The pulse lasers were first introduced by Clan forces as an alternative to standard and ER lasers. It's not possible to track the cathegory origins, as the first models were distributed among the Clans in equal numbers.         The designation "pulse" comes from the workings of these lasers: rather than focus all the possible energy in a single, powerful laser beam, pulse tecnology allow to create multiple laser bursts, creating an effect similar to a machine gun fire. First models used separate beams to create this effect, but normal models use a single beam, that lasts longer than the standard, ER or heavy laser beam. Both effects make the pulse laser more accurate than other models, but range and damage have lower values. Heat output is lower because the reactive material doesn't contain carbon.         The workings of a pulse laser are the same of a standard model, until the pilot fires it: the material is stimulated by colored light until the beam reaches its maximum power, and then the laser is ready to fire; when the laser is fired, it doesn't simply "release" the beam to the target, but also restarts to stimulate the reactive mass, to increase the beam's length. Rather than stimulating the mass continuously, the pulse the mass is equipped with a special diaphragm that temporarly "cuts" the link between the mass and the flash tube, for decreasing overheat cases and micro-fractures in the reactive material. The diaphragm is made with a totally reflective surface; the diaphragm and the part of the flash tube that generates the colored light are enclosed in a mirror chamber similar to the resonnaince chamber where the mass is positioned, to recycle the redirected light; this system ensures that the reactive material will be not exposed too much to colored light and saves energy.         As for Extended Range models, Clan pulse lasers have an higher damage value thanks to their better energy control equipment. ER Laser: Extended Range versions of the standard lasers were tested in the last days of the Star League, and the majority of them left the Inner Sphere when General Kerensky self-exiled himself and the SLDF. Few models remained in the hands of the Great Lords, but the technological regression caused by the Succession Wars made it impossible to reproduce, or even the study, these weapons. When the Clans invaded the Inner Sphere, they used ER models derived from the orignal SLDF models. These models are lighter, less bulky and more efficent thanks to the Clans' manufacturing abilities. Inner Sphere scientist were able to duplicate the ER technology on the large laser first, then they nearly matched the Clan ER lasers with the ER medium and small lasers.         The longer range of this laser model is the result of an increased impurity ratio in the laser's reactive material: every crystal rod contains at least 0.07 % of chrome, plus the 0.03 % of carbon. The carbon is present to maintain the material integrity, as the higher percentage of chrome rendered the reactive mass very unstable and suceptible to micro-fractures both during combat and production stages. The carbon solved this problem, as it reinforces the mass' structure as it would be a reactive mass of a standard laser. However, the carbon had a side effect, even present in Clan models, it increases the heat generated by the laser. The carbon is used for high-efficiency brakes or to manufacture heat-resistive materials, as it can absorb high amounts of heat without enlarging (as the thermal expasion theory tells); so the carbon is perfect to maintain the material's structure, but when the colored light hits the reactive mass, the carbon absorbs and then releases higher amounts of waste heat. Clan models feature a more capable energy computer and better resistors to control the higher amount of energy pumped in the resonance cavity to obtain stronger laser beams than Inner Sphere models.