Ion cannon

An ion cannon is a beam weapon that fires beams of ions (atoms or molecules with an electrical charge). An ion cannon is a type of particle cannon; only the particles used are ionized. Due to their electrical charges, they have the potential to disable electronic devices, vehicles, and anything else that has an electrical or similar power source.

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Fictional depictions
As a fictional weapon, the power and utility of ion weapons varies between different media. They may cause electrical disruption (similar to an electromagnetic pulse), physical damage, or some combination in between. In Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, a massive ground-based ion cannon is used to disable an Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit, a significant feat considering the size of and distance to the target. Expanded Universe sources have further established the ion cannon as a non-destructive weapon designed to disable targets by shorting or frying electrical components; ion weapons vary in size from man-portable to gigantic planetary emplacements, and are common in the arsenals of both starfighters and capital ships. The Command & Conquer series features an ion cannon as an orbital superweapon, capable of firing an extremely destructive beam at ground targets.

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[citation needed]. Research along these lines continues into directed-energy weapons. 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.