Esper Power

==Summary==
An esper is a person who wields a supernatural power via scientific means. The vast majority of espers are produced by a person going through Academy City's Power Curriculum Programm, but around 50 espers that acquired their abilities by natural means, so-called Gemstones, are confirmed to exist.
In the Power Curriculum Programm electricity, drugs, suggestion, and many other scientific approaches are used to distort the "reality" an individual sees in order to intentionally have them make ordinarily-impossible quantum observations so that the micro observations could produce macro phenomena.
A good example of this principle can be explained based on the thought experiment of Schrödinger's Cat. The set-up of the thought experiment is as follows: "A cat is penned up in a steel chamber, along with the following device (which must be secured against direct interference by the cat): in a Geiger counter, there is a tiny bit of radioactive substance, so small, that perhaps in the course of the hour one of the atoms decays, but also, with equal probability, perhaps none; if it happens, the counter tube discharges and through a relay releases a hammer that shatters a small flask of hydrocyanic acid. If one has left this entire system to itself for an hour, one would say that the cat still lives if meanwhile no atom has decayed. The first atomic decay would have poisoned it." In quantum theory, whether the atom decayed, and hence the cat is dead, is only decided once the inside of the box is observed. Ordinarily, the chance of this, by construction, should be 50%. The idea behind esper powers would be to change this probability by changing the observer. If one brainwashes the observer so that it will always observe the cat as alive, then the system will follow the observation and always go into the state where no atom decayed.
The unique way the brainwashed observer views reality is what is referred to as an espers "Personal Reality" and stopping the decay of atoms would be this observer's esper ability. By making lots of the microscopic changes at once large scale phenomena can be produced. For instance, this observer could stop a nuclear reactor from functioning or, an observer with the opposite ability, could make large amounts of atoms decay at will to produce beams of radiation.
Another term that comes up from time to time is the AIM diffusion field. AIM is an abbreviation of "An Involuntary Movement". It refers to the phenomenon where an esper involuntarily emits an invisible field from their body. All espers usually have one, but it is so weak that it can't be detected with the normal five senses. AIM is not a unified type of energy. Instead the type varies from esper to esper. For example will a pyrokinetic have a field of heat, a telekinetic a field of pressure and an electromaster, like Misaka Mikoto, will emit weak electromagnetic waves. AIM is not the source of an espers power, but merely a phenomenon associated with it. Despite that an espers Personal Reality is strongly connected to the AIM diffusion field and there are known cases where manipulation of the AIM field resulted in changes in the Personal Reality.
==Uses==
The following abilities are shared between Espers:
*Limited Probability Manipulation: As explained above esper abilities fundamentally function by manipulating the random outcomes of processes at the quantum level. However, espers have no control over probability outside of that needed to manifest their abilities.
*Limited Law Manipulation: Esper powers work based on the espers personal reality. As this is their subjective view of the world the rules underlying their abilities are based mostly on what they believe them to be. For example, Kuroyoru Umidori can fire nitrogen lances from her hands, but can also fire them from robot hands she controls as in her mind those count as her hands. The laws an esper ability works on can even ignore the usual laws of physics as demonstrated by Kakine Teitoku, who is able to create a type of matter that can't exist within the constraints of normal physics. However, espers are not able to change the laws their abilities follow at will. It should be noted that esper abilities are nonetheless viewed as fundamentally scientific, meaning that they likely obey a generalized set of physical laws.
*Subjective Reality: As the process of using an esper power can be envisioned as an esper overwriting usual reality with their personal reality one could say that this is the fundamental principle behind esper powers.
*Calculation Speed: Espers need to perform many complex calculations to use their powers. As such any high level esper must be able to perform an incredible amount of calculations very fast, with the strongest ones having calculation speed comparable to supercomputers. Some Espers perform those calculations consciously, while other perform them in their subconscious without even being aware of it. Some also do a combination of both.
*Quantum Manipulation: Esper powers fundamentally work by making small changes to the world on the quantum scale. By accumulating countless such small changes the macroscopic phenomenons that are the esper abilities are created.
==Resistances==
*Resistance to Poison: As a side-effect of the various chemicals and drugs used on people on the Power Curriculum Programm most Espers have developed a minor resistance to poison. It should be noted that Gemstones, the Misaka Clones and people using esper abilities through technology are exceptions to this rule, as they didn't participate in the usual program.
==Weaknesses==
*Calculations: Esper abilities require the user to consciously or subconsciously perform calculations regarding the phenomena they wish to produce. If these are interrupted the user becomes unable to use their abilities. Drugs or abilities that influence ones mental state, intense pain or high amounts of stress are examples of things that could be used to stop an esper from performing calculations.
Category:Toaru Majutsu no Index
Category:Verse-specific Powers and Abilities