500kv FEL Go Navy!

Diogenes · Post by **Diogenes** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:31 pm

Unexpectedly, Navy’s Superlaser Blasts Away a Record

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/02 ... -a-record/

Tom Ligon · Post by **Tom Ligon** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:03 pm

That's a hot toy! I expect the Air Force is watching closely.

The technology for that sort of e-gun would be pretty handy in the fusion business, too.

I wonder what it would take to build one in the 100 W class? Any high school science students looking to be the first on their block to have a FEL? They used to keep retuning the phasers on Star Trek. Pretty soon we'll be doing that with lasers.

Diogenes · Post by **Diogenes** » Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:19 pm

Tom Ligon wrote:That's a hot toy! I expect the Air Force is watching closely.

The technology for that sort of e-gun would be pretty handy in the fusion business, too.

I wonder what it would take to build one in the 100 W class? Any high school science students looking to be the first on their block to have a FEL? They used to keep retuning the phasers on Star Trek. Pretty soon we'll be doing that with lasers.

If I understand it properly, the difficult part of the whole thing is making the "wiggler". I think it needs to be dynamically tunable or something. But wouldn't that be cool?