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500kv FEL Go Navy!

Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 10:31 pm
by Diogenes
Unexpectedly, Navy’s Superlaser Blasts Away a Record


Image


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

Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:03 pm
by Tom Ligon
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.

Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2011 11:19 pm
by Diogenes
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?