There are many destructive forces in the universe. But, as a huge burst of electromagnetic energy, an EMP is definitely one of the most unusual ones. An EMP phenomena is something that can occur on and off the planet. It is a huge source of danger not directly to the lives of people, but to all electronic and electrical elements. As an event that combines several forms of electromagnetic energies, a pulse of this kind is an absolute harbinger of death to all manner of electronic devices, tools, and even vehicles.
All of these energies are released outwardly, from the source of the event and as they travel through space and solid objects, the sudden and strong electrical current they induce simply fries all components of electronic devices. In fact, its potential is so great that even purely electrical devices, meaning those who do not possess microcircuits or computer chips, could end up rendered useless. Having this incredible destructive power in mind, the next question comes forward: what would be the potential causes of an EMP? Here is the list of the key events, both natural and artificial that are known to be able to create an electromagnetic pulse.
Detonation of a Nuclear Weapon
Nuclear weapons are the first instance when the humanity got a chance to learn about the EMP. This process came slowly because at first, the scientific community was focused on the horrors of other nuclear weapon energies, mainly its explosive power and the radiation it leaves behind. But, as the years went by, the scientific community noticed that a nuclear explosion produces one additional form of energy output – an electromagnetic one. In the process of a nuclear reaction, regardless whether it is a fission or fusion one, the atomic reaction causes a drastic emission of electromagnetic energy. This is one of the reasons why nuclear weapons are so frightful and so effective.
Once it was discovered as an effect of a nuclear blast, scientists quickly realized that it spreads a lot farther than the actual blast wave or the radiation contamination. This is why many Cold War nuclear war scenarios took into consideration that EMP effects both from hostile and friendly weapon detonation. While these effects are still debated, the truth is that a full nuclear war between superpowers would surely produce so much EMP damage that there would not be any working piece of electronic equipment left on the planet.
Solar Flares on the Sun
The Sun, as a star, is a hotbed of violent nuclear reactions that take place constantly. These produce the heat and the light that allows the life to exist on Earth. But, they also produce many other types of energy emissions. For example, these include the prevailing winds of solar radiation that spread out from the star. While these winds are constant and relatively low in the sense of their power, they can make a way to a lot more dangerous phenomena. This is called a solar flare and it represents a moment when a huge mass of matter and energy shoots out from the sun. The earth is too far away to be touched by the heat and direct energy, but like with nuclear weapons, this energy discharge travel a lot further and a lot faster. Once these emissions from a solar flare reach the planet, they would first hit into the Earth’s magnetic sphere.
Ever since Earth came about, it was protected by this magnetic blanket that did not allow the same harmful radiation to pass through. The same magnetic field allows the use of things like a compass. However, there is no knowing how strong and violent these flares can be. If one is big enough, it would shoot out so much energy at such strength that the Earth’s magnetic sphere would be helpless to stop it. Once it went past that space in the upper Earth’s orbit, it would do its horrible things to the electronic devices. Today, the sun is home to very small solar flares. But even with those, there are regular communication and satellite disturbances over a short period. However, they still manage to inflict a huge area of the planet’s surface, sometimes even whole continents. This is why a big solar flare would be able to fry all of the electronic devices both far from the earth and here on land.
Devices and Weapons intended to cause an EMP
This phenomenon is known as an NNEMP. This stands for a non-nuclear electromagnetic pulse and devices like it can deliver a weapon-grade EMP without a thermonuclear reaction. Most devices like this are basically a low-inductance bank of capacitors that are connected to an antenna and a microwave generator. Through this complex setup of electronic elements, the device is able to create a high-energy pulse and send it out towards a target or simply generate it all around themselves. NNEMP generators can be fitted on bombs, drone, or cruise missiles, making them basically the same as any other payload.
They could also be fitted to trucks or even made stationary if a terrorist organization wanted to use them in an urban environment. While NNEMP generators have a much smaller range than a nuclear EMP, they are still able to produce the same kind of damage. For example, an NNEMP generator that goes off near an important storage of digital documents, like a central bank, for example, could destroy all that data in a blink of an eye. This is why they are even more terrifying than a full-on WW3 EMP discharge. While it is incredibly difficult to create a nuclear weapon, NNEMP generators are a different story.
With some technical knowledge and access to industrial equipment, anyone could do the same. What is more worrying is the fact that they can be easily hidden and transported, or even built on-site before they are used. Also, in theory at least, an NNEMP generator that is activated high in the atmosphere, for example aboard a plane, could have it destructive EMP power amplified by the ionosphere that would divert its racing electrons downward, to the surface. These could potentially have a similar effect as a nuclear-based EMP.
Any of these sources of EMP can produce world-shattering effects, so it is clear that all of them should be taken more than seriously.
