Jupiter Brains (A1-0)

The Love At First Sight Jupiter Brain, the central node supporting the SI4 Archailect "Oh, What You Do For An Aching Heart!" of the Galactyan Empire.
Image from Steve Bowers on Orion's Arm.

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A Jupiter Brain is a computational substrate megastructure, comparable in mass and size to a standard gas giant planet like Jupiter, typically in the 1x10²⁷ kilogram range.

The low activity Jupiter Brain of the Galactyan Archailect ನೇರಳೆ, emanating small amounts of waste heat (that can be seen thanks to it's purple glow).
Image from Steve Bowers on Orion's Arm.

Structure

The structure of a Jupiter Brain usually consists of a colloidal structure of Plasma, Low Density Monopolium, Diamondoid and Feroid, that form a network of nodes around a central energy core consisting of Quantum Dot Circuits (QDC) and Molecular Storage Systems (MSS). Each node acts as a processing element, a memory storage system, or both, meant to act with relative independence while still operating in unison with all other elements. Internal connections between the nodes are often times optical, employing fiber optics, waveguides and utilizing directional signals sent through vacuum.

Heat dissipation is often a major concern with Jupiter Brains; the denser they are, the faster they can run, due to the distances involved in transmitting internal data. But increasing the density of the computronium also increases the problems associated with the heat of operation. The number of computations that a Jupiter brain performs in a given time is directly related to the amount of waste heat the brain must emit, and since this heat must be emitted at the surface of the structure, on it is usually located either a concentric shield and/or a series of protruding elliptical looping structures whose function is to dissipate heat into space via radiation.

Jupiter Brains mainly receive the energy needed for their computation from Dyson Swarms that were likely also used for their construction. Other sources of energy include both on-site fusion and antimatter reactions, although these tend to be more short-term methods, as they require a constant input of material to function.

Some Jupiter Brains are sufficiently luminous to act as the center of a system of habitable moons and/or other megastructures, which gather the waste heat given off by such an object through orbiting photovoltaic systems to provide energy for their environment.

Construction

Self-replicating nanomachines are introduced inside of a selected gas giant, and are provided energy for replication by a Dyson Swarm in orbit of the gas giant's primary star. The nanomachines, coupled with specialized nanofabricators then start to convert, refine and reorganize the gas giant's matter into the colloidal structures that make up the computronium basis of the Jupiter Brain. Then, the colloidal structures are connected between one another, first forming the central energy core's QDCs and MSSs, followed by the rest of the nodes network. The radiator shields and loops are then optionally constructed if the structure is supposed to be a high activity J-Brain. The entire process for the creation of a Jupiter Brain takes around 20 to 50 years (for an S2 and S3 civilization) to be fully completed and operational, due to the internal complexity of the megastructure.

Sources

• Orion's Arm: https://www.orionsarm.com/eg-article/462d9ab0d7178
• Interesting Engineering: https://interestingengineering.com/science/how-to-make-a-jupiter-brain-a-computer-the-size-of-a-planet
• Medium: https://medium.com/the-shadow/the-science-and-capabilities-of-a-jupiter-brain-bf6707f78750