10,000 Watt 808nm Laser :D (not a typo, 10^4 Watts)

[mwang]

I was just watching a documentary, and guess what: they used a 10,000 Watt (10 kW) 808nm IR laser to test the concept of space elevators! :drool:

The laser is introduced at approximately 28:50, and is fired and demonstrated at 30:09.

Here is the documentary:

That is one powerful laser!

 

[Cyparagon]

Let me guess. 10kW peak? (haven't watched it yet :undecided: )

 

[mwang]

Let me guess. 10kW peak? (haven't watched it yet :undecided: )

It says that on the warning label

It needs quite a bit of power to push that "space elevator" model up that far :drool:

 

[IsaacT]

Imagine the power needed to push real things like people and such....You would need a whole hell of a lot of power to achieve such thrust i imagine(there is my little disclaimer, that way if someone calls me out I can say "well I just imagined" lol)

 

[mwang]

Imagine the power needed to push real things like people and such....You would need a whole hell of a lot of power to achieve such thrust i imagine(there is my little disclaimer, that way if someone calls me out I can say "well I just imagined" lol)

1 Exawatt?

 

[Moistenator]

1 DreamaWatt

 

[lasersbee]

If there is a 10KW Laser being fired to supply power
to the lifting platform.... Why is no one in the room
wearing eye protection....:thinking:


Jerry

 

[Zeebit]

They do have eye protection as you can see @ 30:00


I wonder how can a laser propel an object instead of burning through it.

 

[lasersbee]

You are correct...
At 30:17 it looked like they were not wearing any goggles..:yabbem:

Jerry

 

[Cyparagon]

"max output" doesn't mean much. In practice, it can be 2-3 times the rated output. But these are students that probably made their own sign.

Looks to me like they pointed a beam at a solar cell or something of that nature and used the voltage generated to drive a motor. You don't need anywhere near 10kW to propel something that small.

 

[elbelle]

They can kill planes with this ^_^ rlly

 

[DrSid]

Well that was pretty disappointing video, at least from laser perspective. They showed nothing.

This shows different kind laser propulsion .. but it actually does show it.

 

[scumbagatheist]

Yeah, but does it pop ballons?? :eg:

 

[EPR]

could you consider the earth as one big balloon?