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IIRC It's a weaponized form of the "pulse units" that propelled the Orion. Those projected a significant percentage of their energy as a stream of plasma at the Orion's pusher plate by focussing part of the bomb's radiation onto a thin but dense plate of metal (tungsten for example) which would then vaporize and form a sigar shaped cloud of plasma flowing rapidly away from the bomb's detonation. Apparently variations in the thickness of the metal plate could alter the shape and size of the plasma stream, so it's no big stretch to see that it could be used as a weapon. It's basically a shaped nuclear charge.And of course, all of this makes sense. Anything that can give the kind of push that was needed to propel Orion would also be useful as a weapon. It's Larry Niven's Kzinti Lesson:"A reaction drive's efficiency as a weapon is in direct proportion to its efficiency as a drive."
IIRC It's a weaponized form of the "pulse units" that propelled the Orion. Those projected a significant percentage of their energy as a stream of plasma at the Orion's pusher plate by focussing part of the bomb's radiation onto a thin but dense plate of metal (tungsten for example) which would then vaporize and form a sigar shaped cloud of plasma flowing rapidly away from the bomb's detonation. Apparently variations in the thickness of the metal plate could alter the shape and size of the plasma stream, so it's no big stretch to see that it could be used as a weapon. It's basically a shaped nuclear charge.
And of course, all of this makes sense. Anything that can give the kind of push that was needed to propel Orion would also be useful as a weapon. It's Larry Niven's Kzinti Lesson:
"A reaction drive's efficiency as a weapon is in direct proportion to its efficiency as a drive."
