Article

2009-07-12 Science & Technology

Military High Powered Lasers Facing Heat Problems

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Posted by Anonymoose 2009-07-12 07:57|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 Interesting but this is just another Engineering and Materials problem. Just getting to where they are now was the challenge.

Posted by tipover 2009-07-12 10:35|| 2009-07-12 10:35|| Front Page Top

#2 Mr. Edison had quite some problem with the filaments for his 'light bulb' suffering heat damage. I belive he was eventually successful in engineering a solution.

Posted by SteveS 2009-07-12 10:49|| 2009-07-12 10:49|| Front Page Top

#3 The solution is airborne squeegee men. Since unemployment is near 10%, there should be plenty of applicants.

Posted by ed 2009-07-12 11:06|| 2009-07-12 11:06|| Front Page Top

#4 I dont think this will be fixed until they find a way to get rid of the mirrors. Any tiny spec of dust on one of the mirrors will absorb a tremendous amount of energy and create a burn spot on the optics.

This means that assembly and (most importantly) maintenance can only be done in clean-room conditions.

So they either need to put the mirrors in a closed assembly that can be swapped out and maintained as a module or get rid of the mirrors and find some other way of controlling the beams.

Posted by crosspatch 2009-07-12 15:32|| 2009-07-12 15:32|| Front Page Top

#5 Just have more lower power beams focussed on one spot.

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2009-07-12 16:58|| 2009-07-12 16:58|| Front Page Top

#6 Military High Powered Lasers Facing Heat Problems

Well DUH.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2009-07-12 18:38|| 2009-07-12 18:38|| Front Page Top

#7 Especially if you are the target.

Posted by Hellfish 2009-07-12 19:46|| 2009-07-12 19:46|| Front Page Top

#8 A network of smaller lasers would appear to be the solution. But they would have to be ground based, which is unlikely to appeal to the Airforce.

One thing the Soviets got right was to have a separate Strategic Rocket Force.

Posted by Phil_B 2009-07-12 20:37|| 2009-07-12 20:37|| Front Page Top

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