The Real Science of Ghostbusters Proton Packs

Does the proton pack from Ghostbusters have any basis in real world science?

“Switch me on.”

When you think about it, the original Ghostbusters movie captivated a generation in a way that we usually reserve for franchises like Star Wars. Who would have thought that a big budget semi-horror comedy featuring a bunch of Saturday Night Live alums would become the kind of pop culture phenomenon that is still releasing films 40 years later, not to mention a parade of animated series, collectibles, video games, and more? And yet, that’s exactly what happened!

And perhaps a key part of that appeal was the central piece of equipment that the Ghostbusters outfitted themselves with: the proton pack. Essentially an “unlicensed nuclear accelerator” that they wear on their backs that allows them to “herd” ghosts into the equally fantastic traps (something that will perhaps be the focus of a future episode of Does it Fly?), the proton pack is as striking a visual as Star Wars’ lightsaber or Star Trek’s transporter. It’s far from the only reason Ghostbusters has endured, but the millions of children of the 1980s who turned their school backpacks into ghost-fighting machines can’t be wrong!

At the heart of Ghostbusters is the fact that our heroes are all scientists, despite their shared interest in the paranormal. In a way, that’s not too different from the dynamic of our brilliant hosts, who spend this special, spooky episode of Does it Fly? debating both the science and story logic of this beloved device.

Watch the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here or check it out on our YouTube page to learn more. 

FURTHER READING 

Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do! 

Protons

You can’t wrap your head around a proton pack without first understanding the proton itself, which is simply a positively charged particle in the nucleus of an atom. Wait, did we say “simply?” No, these aren’t that simple at all (note how Hakeem says in this episode that “the word particle can mean different things in different contexts”). Find out why right here.

Particle Accelerators

According to Hakeem, the proton pack is essentially a particle accelerator. Let the International Atomic Energy Agency explain them to you far better than we can. But the key here is the concept of the cyclotron, first developed by Ernest Lawrence, and which even existed in a surprisingly portable form (pending energy use necessity, of course).

Beta Decay

We admit, this one is tough to follow on its own. Fortunately, there are visual references that help us follow along.

Let’s just let Hakeem explain how it all ties together: 

“The Ghostbusters use positrons to power their cyclotron which accelerates their protons so they can use them to capture ghosts.” (phew)

The Real Inspiration for Ghostbusters

Tamara brings up how Dan Aykroyd was inspired to pursue the Ghostbusters concept by an academic article from The Journal of the American Society for Psychical Research (which is absolutely real). We are pretty sure that the actual article in question can be read right here!

SUGGESTED VIEWING 

It’s almost unthinkable that anyone who has clicked on this episode hasn’t seen the original Ghostbusters, which is truly a generational, all-time great movie. There’s an entire franchise worth exploring beyond it, though. Here’s a quick guide to watching them all in the appropriate order.

Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989)

The two movies that make up the bedrock of Ghostbusters canon. The first, is, of course, self-explanatory. Its sequel was seen as something of a disappointment upon release, but in the years since it’s seen a critical re-evaluation from the general public. The first movie belongs to a unique category of high-concept genre comedies of the 1980s, which even had this not spawned a series of movies, a toy line, an animated series, and countless collectibles would have made it pretty unique. Others that played with the formula established here include Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Beetlejuice (which we did an entire episode on that you can watch right here).

Ghostbusters: Answer the Call (2016)

Unfairly maligned upon release for reasons we need not get into here, Paul Feig’s complete reboot of the franchise  (it’s set in a parallel universe from the first films) is better than you’ve heard. However

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)

These are essentially the belated Ghostbusters III and IV. As is the case with Ghostbusters sequels, your mileage may vary.

For those of you who really want to dig deeper, though, you’d be surprised at just how cool (and even scary!) The Real Ghostbusters cartoon from the 1980s was. In particular, if you’re looking for some spooky seasonal viewing, allow us to suggest the first season episode “When Halloween Was Forever” which feels like a genuine Ghostbusters movie condensed down to less than 30 minutes. 

WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?

This isn’t our first spooky rodeo, as we recently took a look at Beetlejuice to try and scientifically prove that demonic possession is a thing!

Have you seen our awesome exclusive interview with the showrunner of Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft yet? Watch it here!

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