P1 8 Blasters, Beskar and the Physics of Heat Transfer

Abstract

This paper estimates the physical requirements for the fictional material beskar from The Mandalorian to resist a high-energy blaster bolt. Using thermodynamics and heat transfer principles, we model the blaster bolt as a plasma bolt and calculate the resulting temperature rise and heat distribution in a breastplate of armour. We find that if a bolt deposits 342 MJ of energy into a few kilograms of material, the local temperature change would exceed a million kelvin, which is enough to vaporise any known material. To survive, beskar must possess exotic thermal and structural properties beyond current materials science.