Laser mythology.....

[Greendream]

Still. This is the biggest "Myth". The Myth that directed energy weapons will become so prevelent they replace projectile weapons.

I dont care how easy it becomes..It will always be easier to make a bullet, and a bullet has more practical anti personnel effects than any energy weapon will..Why would you need a laser or a plasma weapon? Short of space warfare and anti -tank and point defense? To kill someone? a bullet will kill someone. To pierce body armor? A bullet can pierce body armor...and it will ALWAYS be more feasible than a blaster of some sort.

I was just thinking along the same lines... but I think the main reason that wars of the future will not be dominated by laser canons, is that it probably wont take long to develop reflective armor... mirrors anyone?

 

[dr-ebert]

50,000 joules (or roughly equivalent to 50KW per second, I think).

Ouch! :twak:

Lasers as weapons were researched for SDI (Star wars defence initiative). CW lasers are useless, period. In air, any power large enough to cause damage would heat up the air so much that the beam becomes scattered after a very short distance. Even in space, where you'd be shooting at moving missiles, it would take far too long, and there are easy defense possibilities like mirror surface and rotation. The only possible laser weapon would use ultra-short high-power pulses. These damage not by thermal effects, but by causing a shockwave in materials due to the intense electromagnetic fields.

Making a bullet is a lot more complex than just recharging a battery. Also, the major problem of bullets is their slow speed. Even at 1 km/sec (hi-power rifle), it becomes very hard to hit even a slow-moving target at distances over 300m or so with any precision, because the point you have to aim at will significantly differ from the point you'll actually hit, due to the movement and gravity.

 

[millirad]

Good info! Before I serviced ND:YAG laser marking systems, I assumed that I couldn't put my hand in the infrared beam(pencil sized) without immediately cutting a hole. I did do it though from time to time and while quite warm like strong sunlight, I could leave it there for a few seconds without damage.

Another myth is that a beam spot can't be made that is the same diameter on earth that it is on the moon. While we don't currently have the technology, and it is possible in theory only, computer controlled optics could produce a spot of almost any diameter the same size from a spot located on the earth to a spot on the moon. What can't be done even theoretically is to produce a spot that has the same power as the one on earth compared to the one on the moon. There is no way to completely prevent absorption and reflection of photons by molecules in the earths atmosphere, at least with any forseeable technology.

 

[lordoflasers]

I saw that movie where these special forces were rescuring a plane with terrorists and a bomb on it. One of the guys had a Laser with him and he melted the isolation of a cable with it ^^
I know thats the opposite of the topic , because my dilda is able to do that , but I think its also worth to mention some true hollywood myths :-]

game-genie

That movie was awesome. Executive Decision starring Kurt Russel and Steven Seagal gets killed in the first 10 minutes of the film.
That laser could actually be a reality now.