[WIP] KERN - Kerbal Council for Nuclear Research (Particle Accelerators)

[cvusmo]

 

KERN - Kerbal Council for Nuclear Research

KERN is a mod that will implement particle physics into the game as a way to gather rare resources like anti-matter. There will be three models of a particle accelerator. Small, Large, and XL versions all unlocked via a tech tree. The components will only work with the correct size (can't combine an XL with a S). To keep sizes down, each model is going to contain multiple components organized in a way that allows them to be pieced together to create a functional particle accelerator. The player will be able to add any amount of components together as long as they're the correct size. Key components will be the beam generator and collector. The Waveguides will be attachable to each other. The more you attach, the longer your particle accelerator will be. For practical purposes, you won't need a ridiculously long particle accelerator to harvest anti-matter. For fun, maybe you wrap kerbin in a particle accelerator? 

Low Tech - Small (Present) - Linacs
Med Tech - Large (Near Future) - Cyclotrons
High Tech - XL (Far future) - Synchrotrons

As Science mode is introduced I'll be working on a long journey of creating a particle accelerator for KSP 2. The plan is for it to be used on Kerbin to create anti-matter (or some rare fuel type). This is my first big project and first I want to start with the modelling process.

// Links:

Github:  https://github.com/cvusmo/KERN
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cvusmo
Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/cvusmo
Twitter: @cvusmo

//DEVBLOG INFO:
The DEVBLOGS will be updated periodically. I'll upload a DEVBLOG on a Thursday/Friday as I reach certain milestones. DEVBLOGS will appear in numerical order starting with DEVBLOG #1. Links will be provided with a detailed description on what the linked video covers. This is to keep the size of the thread down. The main DEVBLOG will be visible as a full video.
 

//Devblog #1:
I find it amazing how rockets are fueled. The cryogenic fuels are fascinating to me. With particle accelerators, they use Liquid Hydrogen to maintain temperatures around -253 C / -423 F. That's really cold. As I'm developing the particle physics mod I'm noticing little QoL's I want to add to the game. I'm a huge fan of resource management in games. As such, I'll be looking forward to modifying the resources when they get added to the game. For now, adding simple VFX to get the effect of cooling. The idea is that when the player interacts with the particle accelerator they can click an option to "cool accelerator" and it would execute the cooling effects and then add the liquid hydrogen to the component. This would then help keep the particle accelerator operating at the correct temperature as that will be a key element to making this work without exploding. 

Day 1 - Blender Design

Day 2 - Conceptual Design (Animation/Texture)

//Devblog #2:

Friday I'll be posting DEVBLOG #2. Here's a sneak peak of the progress I've made this week.


 

//Devblog #3:

Now that summer is coming to a close, and I'm back from holiday it's time to get back to posting regular content! I'm really enjoying making mods and a lot of the content I'll be making will be covering that in the Devblog series. It takes a lot of my time to make these mods (which I enjoy doing). I'm looking forward to brainstorming fun ideas to do in KSP2. I need to get the colony established on Duna for starters.

1. Devblog bi-weekly series covering all mods I'm working on
2. Weekly videos released between Fri-Sun covering KSP2 gameplay
3. Shorts goal of 3-5 a week

Here is Devblog #3 in the works in Premiere Pro! In this episode (which comes out Friday July, 28) I'll be going over KERN and FFT. I'll be going behind the scenes to show some of the texture process and what things look like in Unity. THIS will not be a tutorial on how to make a mod. It's just going to show the behind the scenes and it's something the devblog series will continue to do. Hope everyone is having a good Monday! 

 

Edited July 24, 2023 by cvusmo
devblog #3

[cvusmo]

Research Sources:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1140/epjp/s13360-021-02201-5

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://cds.cern.ch/record/2694239/files/mopts099.pdf

Hollow Electron Gun:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://indico.cern.ch/event/860133/contributions/3622420/attachments/1939910/3216052/E-beam_2019-11-06_Electron_beam_test_facility.pdf

Edited June 9, 2023 by cvusmo
Resource Sources

[Pat20999]

Do we use this mod for engine or power or bombs?

[cvusmo]

21 hours ago, Pat20999 said:

Do we use this mod for engine or power or bombs?

Particle accelerators are used for research and medical purposes IRL. I'm not a fan of weaponizing KSP. It's a science game, not a war simulator. Others may like having mods that allow warfare etc, but it's not my cup of tea.

1. Engine: No. Think of this like a drill, it "mines" resources just in a different way. It smashes particles together and the result of the particles colliding creates a probability of some particle to be created:

Dark energy
Anti-Matter
Quarks
Higgs Bosons

Just because you smash the particles together does not mean everytime you run the machine, it makes something. The amount that of resources it creates will vary and be based off a probability factor. As far as what amounts, I have no idea as anti-matter isn't in the game yet and I've yet to look into modding the fuels (which is something I plan to do).

2. Power

This is going to require a lot of power to run. It uses both electricity and fuel just like an engine. The electrical cost and fuel costs will be very high. This will also consume fuel and electricity at an extremely fast pace. 

3. The resources you gather from running this is up to you to use how you see fit. I have zero plans on adding any sort of bomb/nuclear weapons to the game. 

As such, it is VERY early in development. There's systems this mod depends on that aren't even in the game yet. I need colonies for resources and I need science mode to be able to start implementing what the dev's have, and using it to modify this. 

 

[Pat20999]

1 hour ago, cvusmo said:

Particle accelerators are used for research and medical purposes IRL. I'm not a fan of weaponizing KSP. It's a science game, not a war simulator. Others may like having mods that allow warfare etc, but it's not my cup of tea.

1. Engine: No. Think of this like a drill, it "mines" resources just in a different way. It smashes particles together and the result of the particles colliding creates a probability of some particle to be created:

Dark energy
Anti-Matter
Quarks
Higgs Bosons

Just because you smash the particles together does not mean everytime you run the machine, it makes something. The amount that of resources it creates will vary and be based off a probability factor. As far as what amounts, I have no idea as anti-matter isn't in the game yet and I've yet to look into modding the fuels (which is something I plan to do).

2. Power

This is going to require a lot of power to run. It uses both electricity and fuel just like an engine. The electrical cost and fuel costs will be very high. This will also consume fuel and electricity at an extremely fast pace. 

3. The resources you gather from running this is up to you to use how you see fit. I have zero plans on adding any sort of bomb/nuclear weapons to the game. 

As such, it is VERY early in development. There's systems this mod depends on that aren't even in the game yet. I need colonies for resources and I need science mode to be able to start implementing what the dev's have, and using it to modify this. 

 

So as a science experiment in science mode: NOICE!

The ultimate science experiment, I guess.

I am a big fan and a subscriber.

[cvusmo]

Just now, Pat20999 said:

So as a science experiment in science mode: NOICE!

Yup! I'm working on the LINAC which is a linear particle accelerator. It'll be "low tech" and the beginning of the particle physics branch. I'm excited and enjoying making it so far!

[Pat20999]

Just now, cvusmo said:

Yup! I'm working on the LINAC which is a linear particle accelerator. It'll be "low tech" and the beginning of the particle physics branch. I'm excited and enjoying making it so far!

Thank you for the future science we get of this! 

[some_failure]

this looks really cool

[cvusmo]

1 hour ago, some_failure said:

this looks really cool

Thank you. I'm really excited about this. It's a long road ahead. Right now the focus is developing the particle system and models as well as the GUI in game.

[some_failure]

i have a silly idea for your mod, you dont have to do it but my idea is to have a partical eccelerater ring part like the hydron collider, i dont think its realistic and it would be to big but it would be cool 

[cvusmo]

22 minutes ago, some_failure said:

i have a silly idea for your mod, you dont have to do it but my idea is to have a partical eccelerater ring part like the hydron collider, i dont think its realistic and it would be to big but it would be cool 

It's very realistic. It is part of the mod. I haven't built it yet though. Right now I'm working on the low tech particle accelerator which is a linear accelerator. 


Low Tech - Large (Near Future) - Cyclotrons

Cyclotrons are circular. This will most likely be changed to be the low tech as this was developed in the 1930's. But this basically starts in the middle of a circle and spirals outward.

Low/Med Tech - Small (Present) - Linacs
Linear particle accelerator what I'm currently building and everything you've seen in the videos etc.

High Tech - XL (Far future) - Synchrotrons

Synchrotrons are what most people think of when they think of particle accelerators. What I think I'll end up doing is taking the linear accelerator parts, putting a slight curve to them, changing them to XL size, and then thats about it. Theres a few more parts I'll need to make as you can tell based off the diagram. 

This allows players to customize and build an accelerator as big or as small as they want.

[some_failure]

cool!

[fulgur]

Will there be any scientific benefits for dragging one of these all the way to another planet? I'm not a particle physicist but I fail to see why, irl, a particle accelerator would do anything different when placed on another body. [obviously making antimatter and other exotics is beneficial to your engineering program, but in terms of science points]

[Pat20999]

20 minutes ago, fulgur said:

Will there be any scientific benefits for dragging one of these all the way to another planet? I'm not a particle physicist but I fail to see why, irl, a particle accelerator would do anything different when placed on another body. [obviously making antimatter and other exotics is beneficial to your engineering program, but in terms of science points]

That’s the thing, you’re trying to see what effect it has.

[cvusmo]

1 hour ago, fulgur said:

Will there be any scientific benefits for dragging one of these all the way to another planet? I'm not a particle physicist but I fail to see why, irl, a particle accelerator would do anything different when placed on another body. [obviously making antimatter and other exotics is beneficial to your engineering program, but in terms of science points]

That's the fun of the mod. I'm going for semi-realism if I have to label it. It uses theoretical and experimental physics from IRL then makes it fun in KSP2. Every science experiment that I mod I want to make sure has scientific benefits (and bonuses) depending on time, location, size, etc.

For example, various fuels will create different particles. Liquid Hydrogen will create anti-matter. Liquid Deuterium will create something else. These fuels will be fun to add to the game. As far as their use in engines, that's far ahead. 

Today, I'm working on the electron gun for the linear accelerator. It has a few particle systems working. 

Questions like these are really useful fulgur. I hadn't considered using a particle accelerator on Duna or Laythe. I was thinking how efficient it would be to create anti-matter on Kerbin without having to travel to Eeloo or wherever it is we'll be able to farm anti-matter.

[Starhelperdude]

This looks incredibly cool!

[cvusmo]

Thanks! I'm having a blast making it