A symmetrical rail accelerator

The symmetrical rail accelerator has four rails, which are arranged symmetrically around the bore. The opposite rails have the same polarity and the adjacent rails the opposite polarity. In this configuration, the radial force acting on the individual rails is significantly smaller than in a conventional two-rail configuration and a plasma armature is focused toward the axis of the barrel. Experimental results indicate a higher efficiency than that of a conventional rail accelerator. >