laser question?

[dragonstar57]

can several low power laser beams (7-8 milliwatts violet-ultraviolet) be focused into a single beam equivalent to the sum of the low power beams?

would there be energy loss due to interference? if so how much?

could a huge array of normal (ps3) diodes ie 1250 would you make a 10 watt laser or 10,000 to make a 80 watt beam?

or 25000 to make 200 watt beam?

correct me if i am wrong but isn't a 200 watt beam EXTREMELY powerful?

but how powerful? can I use such a tank busting laser on a power point ?

Edited September 12, 2010 by cipher510

[insane_alien]

can several low power laser beams (7-8 milliwatts violet-ultraviolet) be focused into a single beam equivalent to the sum of the low power beams?

 

Yes, this is what it done in ultra high power lasers used in fusion research. requires some pretty fancy optics and control systems though. and those are not cheap.

 

would there be energy loss due to interference?

 

not if you do it properly, more losses would come from the collimating optics.

 

could a huge array of normal (ps3) diodes ie 1250 would you make a 10 watt laser or 10,000 to make a 80 watt beam?

or 25000 to make 200 watt beam?

 

potentially, but you'd be cheaper and easier getting an actual 80 watt laser

 

correct me if i am wrong but isn't a 200 watt beam EXTREMELY powerful?

 

in terms of home lasers, yes. in terms of industrial lasers, no

 

can I use such a tank busting laser on a power point ?

 

its not tank busting. a tank would be unaffected by it as it doesn't deliver enough energy to do damage. if you are using it on a presentation, well, you might set fire to the backing if it's made of a flammable substance like cloth.

 

but do you really want to be swinging around a massive laser(and diesel generator for the powersupply)just for a presentation and run the risk of instantly and permanently blinding members of your audience?

[dragonstar57]

no the power point part was a joke and i thought it was a good one

[dragonstar57]

so how powerful would it have to be to be a "tank busting laser" thought 200 watts would work because i have seen a 1 watt laser cut through metal. http://www.powerlabs.org/laser.htm

i understand that RPGs are more effective but that was not my question.

[insane_alien]

a 1 watt beam of light can cut through THIN metal. This is because the heat cannot be conducted away fast enough by the metal.

 

a tank on the otherhand is essentially a solid block of metal. Heat conduction away from the point of contact is significant and will prevent the metal getting hot enough to melt. A tank would be able to withstand sustained bursts from a 200W laser. This is why in order to be weaponised the military are looking for 100kW lasers.

 

To be a useful weapon it needs to be destructive AND quick. if its not quick then defending against it is easy, just move.

[dragonstar57]

if it was about 1kw and it was focused it so the beam had a very small beam diameter you would achieve some shocking power densities and you always could shoot it from several directions with these lasers so it wouldn't be able to disperse the energy fast enough

and couldn't a laser be used to damage armor so a missile would more affective?

[insane_alien]

still not enough.

[Klaynos]

At energies like that you find focussing rather difficult because you burn/melt your focussing optics... And you start loosing energy to ionising the air the beam is passing through...

[dragonstar57]

could a laser be put on missile or rocket to damage the armor and or destroy any anti missile projectiles?

[Mr Skeptic]

could a laser be put on missile or rocket to damage the armor and or destroy any anti missile projectiles?

 

Maybe, but a solid projectile would probably work better. Lasers are weak and heavy; the reason to use them is only to hit far away things that are too fast for normal projectiles.

[dragonstar57]

Maybe, but a solid projectile would probably work better. Lasers are weak and heavy; the reason to use them is only to hit far away things that are too fast for normal projectiles.

but projectiles won't be effective as soon as those "ant-rpg" defense guns are perfected