Anihilation Catalysts
A "catalyst" is a substance (as an enzyme) that enables a chemical reaction to proceed at a usually faster rate or under different conditions (as at a lower temperature) than otherwise possible.1 The anihilation catalyst does the same thing for atomic reactions. This invention, for which no human can take credit, is a small device that converts matter to energy directly, one molecule at a time. Anihilation catalysts are used as power sources for all kinds of devices. A power source using the anihilation catalyst is usually a small cylinder, often about an inch long and a quarter inch in diameter. It has several small holes -- too small to see -- along its length, through which air molecules enter. It develops an electric potential between the two ends of the cylinder. The amount of electric current that can flow from one end of the cylinder to the other is limited by the amount of heat that can be absorbed by the device using the anihilation catalyst.
As I said, we humans don't fully understand how the anihilation catalyst works. At least, no human has been able to explain it to me. The anihilation catalyst was invented by the communications devices powered by uFactories. All previous attempts by humans to harness atomic energy on a small scale failed either because of poisonous waste products of incomplete anihilation of fuel or the high start-up energy cost. Fission of Uranium requires little start-up energy but generates poisonous radioactive waste products. Fusion of Hydrogen required high initial energy to start the reaction, and extremely high temperatures and pressures to be maintained during the reaction. In both cases enormous fixed power stations would be needed to manage these types of atomic power generation. Ironically, one of the reasons for the large size of these large power stations was their large size. That's because for a large power station to be practical, it must generate an awful lot of electric power, so it consumes large amounts of fuel. With all that fuel on hand, there's always the risk of a containment failure, which could result in an explosion. The anihilation catalyst solved Fission's poison problem and Fusion's start-up cost problem in a small package that causes little damage in the event of containment failure.
The invention of the anihilation catalyst changes the world. If you wonder why, consider Einstein's famous equation, E=mc2, which gives an idea of the amount of energy the anihilation catalyst derives from matter. Next, consider the changes it made to the landscape.
Since the invention of the anihilation catalyst, we no longer need to look underground for fuel as our ancesters did. Energy is no longer a scarce resource, that is, one that needs to be bought to own it. Also, the power-to-weight ratio of engines was dramatically increased by this invention, mostly because the fuel is so much lighter now that it is completely consumed.
Power stations went away. Power lines. Gas stations. Wires and switches in houses. All gone.
Footnotes:
1. Merriam Webster's WWWebster Dictionary, http://www.m-w.com.