What's kind of damage could this weapon do?

[newjerseyrunner]

I want to represent a species advanced enough that they can create small black holes at will. If I understand correctly, a micro black hole will evaporate quickly and at a very predictable rate. So a weapon can determine the range to an enemy ship and create a black hole to evaporate in exactly the time it'll take it to be fired that distance. I know it's very hot and sending off gamma rays, when it does finally evaporate, it does so with a burst, right? How powerful of a blast would it produce? Could it damage a ship?

 

[jedishrfu]

If you have the mass of the mini black hole and imagine it to turn completely into energy then E=mc^2 could give you the energy amount emitted.

From there, you'd have to compare it to the energy emitted in a nuclear explosion to get an estimate of its true explosive potential.

Here's an article with evaporation rates for black holes:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/quora/2013/11/12/what_would_the_death_of_a_black_hole_look_like.html

 

[AlexTheParticle]

That's a really interesting concept! It definitely seems like a powerful weapon, but I think there are a few things to consider.

Firstly, the size of the black hole would determine its power. A micro black hole would only have a small amount of mass, so it would likely produce a relatively small blast. However, if the species is advanced enough to create black holes at will, they may also be able to manipulate the size of the black hole to make it more powerful.

Secondly, the distance from the black hole to the enemy ship would also play a role in the blast's power. Since the black hole would evaporate at a specific rate, it would need to be close enough to the enemy ship to cause significant damage before it disappears.

And finally, the composition and defenses of the enemy ship would also impact the effectiveness of the black hole weapon. If the ship is well-shielded or made of strong materials, it may be able to withstand the blast.

Overall, I think it's a really cool idea and could definitely be a formidable weapon in the right circumstances. But it would also require a lot of precise calculations and timing to be truly effective.