Real-world Connections
The science fiction inspiration for these devices arises from the particle cannon developed by Nikola Tesla which fired ions into the ionosphere which charged them further, when repeated the energy generated would have been great enough to cause significant electrical damage. Research along these lines continues into directed-energy weapons.
The affinity between the science-fiction and computer hacker communities became evident in 2010 due to a software program entitled Low Orbit Ion Cannon, which although designed to aid in network stress-testing, increasingly became used as part of DDoS protests and attacks, including operations by Anonymous against secretive groups like the church of Scientology, and in defense of whistleblower website Wikileaks.
Recently, it has been suggested to use an ion beam produced by an ion thruster on board a spacecraft to transmit a deorbiting force to space debris in low and geostationary Earth orbit. This Ion Beam Shepherd concept, under study by the Technical University of Madrid as well as JAXA and CNES, can also be applied to the deflection of Earth-threatening asteroids.
Read more about this topic: Ion Cannon
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