FINALLY: Scientists Say They Have Created the First Electromagnetic Vortex Cannon.

Vortices are a fairly common phenomenon of nature. They happen when a jet of something creates frictional forces that cause the sides of the surrounding material—whether a gas or liquid—to slow down and curl inward, forming a ring. The propulsive action of jellyfish and squid, for example, can create these types of vortices (and the popular children’s toy known as the “Airzooka” achieves a similar phenomenon).

For nearly 30 years, scientists have theorized that such a vortex should be possible within the realm of electromagnetism. In 1996, R.W. Hellwarth and P. Nouchi theorized that “focused doughnuts” of electromagnetic radiation could be propagated through free space, but had no idea how to trigger such a phenomenon.

Now, scientists from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, and the University of Southampton in the U.K. think they’ve solved the riddle. According to a study published last month in the journal Applied Physics Reviews, the team has designed a radially polarized conical horn antenna, otherwise known as an “electromagnetic cannon.”
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So, why make an electromagnetic vortex cannon?

To shoot stuff out of it and see how far it will go.