Item from Dune by Frank Herbert
An atomic-adjacent weapon that creates a focused nuclear blast — its most insidious effect is the emission of J-rays that permanently blind everyone within a wide radius.
The stone burner occupies a legal grey zone in the Imperium. It is technically not an atomic weapon — it does not violate the Great Convention's prohibition against using atomics against human targets — but it uses atomic principles and its effects are devastating enough that the distinction feels academic to anyone caught in the blast. The true horror of the stone burner is the J-ray emission. The blast itself kills within a limited radius, but the J-rays extend much further, permanently destroying the optic nerves of anyone caught in the zone. An entire city can be blinded by a single detonation. The weapon was deployed in Arrakeen during the conflict that followed Paul's reign, blinding Paul himself — though his prescient vision allowed him to navigate as though sighted, an eerie demonstration of his power. The stone burner changes the stakes of any conflict it enters. It represents the point at which political warfare becomes atrocity.
A compact device, smaller than expected for its destructive yield — roughly the size of a large suitcase. Metallic housing with no external markings. The detonation produces a blinding white flash followed by a characteristic mushroom cloud, smaller and more focused than a standard atomic. The J-ray emission is invisible but its effects are immediate — every unprotected eye within the radius is destroyed.
Also known as: stone-burner, J-ray weapon, the blinding weapon