Happy 08-08-08

[dracodraconis]

Subject says it all.

Going back to the lab now to play with lasers. I'll try to get a tech post out this afternoon because I ran across some interesting things that are going on in the research world.

Comments

[montesqusmith.livejournal.com]

You have the best job in the world Dd - but here's a question...

Is it (or will it be in the forseable future) possible to create a hand held lazer thats projects a controllable beam if not exactly the same, then similar, to those held by the jedi-knights of star wars acclaim?

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

In a word, no, it is not possible. One might argue that the light sabres aren't lasers as much as plasma encased in a force field, which still leaves them outside the realm of human possibility both from the perspective of the energy density that would need to be sustained and how to produce a localized force field to contain a high-energy plasma.

Good thought experiment, though.

OFF TOPIC

[d2leddy.livejournal.com]

In case you missed it . . .

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/08/11/invisibility.cloak.ap/index.html

Re: OFF TOPIC

[dracodraconis.livejournal.com]

The missing part of that article is that the range of optical wavelengths that can be redirected at any time is quite narrow; they have to use different metamaterials for different wavelengths. They will have to use some tricks like they do with LCDs in which they cluster R-G-B or C-Y-M dots so that they appear as one colour to the human eye.

Oh, and, yes, I missed it. Good catch!