Electron beam directed energy device and methods of using same

A directed energy device comprising:

• an electron gun having at least one beam of electrons, said at least one beam of electrons disposed such that at least one beam axis is oriented towards the surface of the earth and is located at a position of up to 200 meters above the surface of the earth;
• an electron accelerator, the electron accelerator operable to energize the electrons to between 10 MeV and 100 MeV;
• and
• wherein the directed energy device is operable to deposit energy subsurface.

A method for impacting ballistic missiles using a directed energy device, comprising the steps of:

• generating a plurality of electron beams, said plurality of electron beams disposed such that their beam axes are oriented in a pre-configured direction and separation to substantially overcome Coulomb repulsion at a point greater than 100 km distant;
• positioning an electron accelerator consisting of a plurality of sequential conductive shaped plates, each conductive shaped plate containing at least one aperture per electron beam, wherein the apertures are positioned at the respective beam's axis, and the shape of the conductive shaped plates being essentially normal to the electron beams, the approximate spacing of the plates from adjacent plates is larger than the electrical breakdown limit;
• and
• applying voltages to each of the plurality of conductive shaped plates relative to the other of the plurality of conductive shaped plates.

A method for detecting landmines using a directed energy device, comprising the steps of:

• providing an electron gun having at least one beam of electrons, said at least one beam of electrons disposed such that at least one beam axis is oriented towards the surface of the earth, the position of the electron gun being located at a position of up to 200 meters above the surface of the earth;
• providing an electron accelerator operable to energize the electrons to between 10 MeV and 100 MeV;
• and
• depositing the energy from the electrons at or below the surface of the earth.