Submarine Detection Technology Race
Traditionally, submarines can be hunted by sonar. But although modern sonar is extremely sensitive the new submarines are very quiet, and neither side has gained a definitive upper hand.
Another solution is the submarine-spotting aircraft that carries “magnetic anomaly detectors” (MAD) which pick up disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by a submarine’s metal hull. Those disturbances are tiny, which means MAD is only useful at ranges of a few hundred metres.
According to economist.com, a new technology might make hunting submarines possible, by using the magnetic signatures of their wakes. Seawater is salty, full of ions of sodium and chlorine. Because those ions have different masses, any nudge—such as a passing submarine—moves some farther than others. Each ion carries an electric charge, and the movement of those charges produces a magnetic field. The US navy and a company named Contana have tried to develop the technology basing on the Debye Effect.
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