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Lasers for Fun and Profit

Posted by michael on from the all-we-need-is-some-sharks dept.

Stuart of Wapping writes "This is a very interesting site, links to pages describing real-life, tried-and-tested Star-Trek/James Bond gadgets... The Laser Medical Pen, or Medpen, developed in-house by the Laser Division of the Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate, is a second-generation device that provides a physician or paramedic with a unique, compact, portable, and battery-operated laser capability. The laser can cut like a scalpel as well as coagulate bleeding."

121 comments

  1. FROST PISS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    WHAT NOW BITCHES SUCK MY DICK!

    Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted!
    Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.

    1. Re:FROST PISS by ThePyromaniak · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      FROST PISS...that sounds painful!!! count me out

  2. F1rst P0st by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    3y3 0wn j00.
    First post

  3. Dilberted? by C0LDFusion · · Score: 5, Funny

    I remember Scott Adams mentioning something like this in "The Dilbert Future", and why it wouldn't go mainstream, because people would buy them from medical supply stores. And then just imagine them in the hands of your friends. Go to sleep and have your asscrack sealed.

    --
    Only in slashdot are posts of solidarity modded at -1 Redundant, while posts of antagonism are modded as -1 Flamebait.
  4. Laser Tag? by reezle · · Score: 4, Funny


    Wow, I thought laser pointers in traffic were bad.
    This'll bring it to a whole new level.

  5. Interesting... by Twintop · · Score: 4, Insightful

    This is just another example of how real life follows in the footsteps of science fiction: impossible things 30 years ago being made possible in similar ways that they were 'being done' in sci-fi stuffs. It never ceases to amaze me how writers with far-fetched ideas can be on the money so often, even though they are way ahead of their time.

    1. Re:Interesting... by ThePyromaniak · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Thats soooo true but those corny 60's SCI-FI movies said that we would have flying cars and such by the year 2000...here it is 2002 and we havent even developed a decent personal interplanetary travel capsule....maybe science fiction writers overestimated us

    2. Re:Interesting... by Latent+IT · · Score: 2

      True, they were wrong about some things in one direction (no flying cars) but wrong about some things in the other direction - tiny computers, with like, screens, instead of a big row of colored lights. =)

  6. High Power Microwaves? by MiTEG · · Score: 4, Interesting

    What intrigued me was the information about high power microwaves. It says

    "High Power Microwave produces burnout and disruption in electronics while not affecting humans."

    Yes, I realize that anything within a range of the spectrum around 2.4Ghz is considered microwave (cell phone, cordless phones, 802.11, etc.) but isn't the only reason they don't hurt people because they are relatively low power? I imagine if you pump enough power into one of those things it could start to make you boil.

    Anyway, I'd hate to be one of the test subjects used in determining whether or not this actually does cause damage.

    --
    The future isn't what it used to be.
    1. Re:High Power Microwaves? by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 2, Informative

      We think of microwaves in terms of microwave ovens. These operate on an EXACT frequecy just below 2.4 GHz that is the precise resonance frequency of water molecules. This makes things boil from the inside, and we tend to generalize this to all microwave behavior.

      Microwaves that are NOT at that magical resonance frequency just cause simple tissue heating effects, like a strong RF transmitter. At least until you get upwards in frequency toward gamma and x-rays where the energy becomes known as "ionizing radiation".

      At that point, the energy can knock around the nucleotides that make up DNA and cause mutations, cancer, etc. (a Bad Thing).

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    2. Re:High Power Microwaves? by Richard+Platt · · Score: 1

      As another poster commented, the microwave oven frequency isn't tuned to a resonance frequency of water molecules at all. The absorption of microwaves by the interaction of the water molecule's electric dipole with the field of the microwave works over a very wide range of frequencies. You wouldn't *want* a strong resonance - you don't want the microwaves to be all absorbed by the outside of the food after all, and the frequency used is definitely not a resonance.

      This seems to be one of those persistant myths...

    3. Re:High Power Microwaves? by robhancock · · Score: 1
      From the www.repairfaq.org Microwave Oven Repair FAQ:

      What is significant about 2.45 GHz? Not that much. Water molecules are not resonant at this frequency. A wide range of frequencies will work to heat water efficiently. 2.45 GHz was probably chosen for a number of other reasons including not interfering with existing EM spectrum assignments and convenience in implementation. In addition, the wavelength (about 5 inches) results in reasonable penetration of the microwave energy into the food. The 3 dB (half power) point is about 1 inch for liquid water - half the power is absorbed in the outer 1 inch of depth, another 1/4 of the power in the next inch, and so forth.
    4. Re:High Power Microwaves? by DarkMan · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think that the reason that it's misunderstood is because there's that half degree of true it.

      There _is_ a resonance, and thus at frequencies near that, water absorbs stronger than other materials. If memory serves me correctly, the resonance is at around 1.4 GHz (although my mental arithmatic might be out) for the H-O-H bend. At the 2.4 GHz then, it's not having much of an effect, compared to a resonant system. But there is an increase in it's absorbtion cross section, due to that.

      Were it not for the resonance, then it wouldn't be principly water that did the absorbing, and the penetration depth in a microwave would be much greater.

      IIRC the 2.4 GHz was picked because the ways to generate microwaves are pretty efficent at that frequency, and the energy dispertion inside water is 3Db per inch or so.

    5. Re:High Power Microwaves? by joetee · · Score: 1

      Everyone knows a timelord selected the 2.4GHz frequency to save us from x10.com. (Like duh man!)
      The timelord went back in time and changed the oven frequency in order to save us!
      He knew after 2001, radiation leaks from microwave ovens would interfere with x10 videocameras! x10 Camera Frequency.
      Even though 2.4GHz would also interfere with 802.11b, etc., stopping x10 was more important!
      Future proliferation of x10 videocameras had to be stopped since the easy to use cameras only encouraged viewing nudity and thus would harm more of "the children".
      Politicaly correcting history required any spectrum be sacrificed!

      Besides, it really was the only way to stop the x10 pop-under ads!

      --
      Joe Torre - X - HardwareEngineer @ Amiga Inc & ZapMedia Amiga, AmigaDE, BeOS, Linuxz, QNX, Rebol, Windoze, ZME: So
    6. Re:High Power Microwaves? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Heh Cool. Portable Mutator. Point your modified hi-power X-ray gun at a passing pedestrian and watch them grow a 3rd eye..

    7. Re:High Power Microwaves? by jafac · · Score: 2

      My brother-in-law worked a Hawk antiaircraft missile battery for the US Marines. He had stories about using the radar to knock seagulls out of the sky. They'd basically cook from the inside out, and be dead before they hit the ground.

      He had stories from other marines who had tried the same trick on humans with similar results.

      --

      These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
  7. Suitcase laser by hedley · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I used to work at a laser lab and we had a suitcase laser. Looked like a photographers case, brushed aluminum, plug it in, and out from the corner came a beam of Alexandrite produced photons (Alexandrite is a vibronic and can be tuned to lase at many different frequencies). This suitcase was shopped around the military quite a bit, that same lab used to buy meat from the grocery store and cut it with the lasers to test surgical properties. Most dangerous place I ever worked, coding with green goggles on, possible instant blindness, 20kv shocks whilst standing in water from leaking cooling pumps! I even got my belt burned like a high school ticker tape experiment, an ND (neutral density) filter exploded because the energy from the beam was so powerful, my boss knocked the hamamatsu(sp?) energy meter out of the way, and I was behind it at belt level, two burns close together in the leather belt and one further away as I tried to escape :)

    Hedley

    1. Re:Suitcase laser by Worminater · · Score: 1

      Honestly, that sounds like an extremely interesting place to work. Anything of that line itself would be cool.

    2. Re:Suitcase laser by JohnFluxx · · Score: 1

      A good thing you didn't jump...

    3. Re:Suitcase laser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This wasn't in the Black Mesa facility by any chance?

  8. Bruce Springsteen's Blood Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN'S BLOOD MONEY

    NEWS ITEM: (CNN); On Tuesday, Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising";his first studio album of all new material in seven years-comes out. The record has made news not least because Springsteen has focused on the people affected by the Sept. 11 attacks for much of his subject matter.

    ===============

    That is what Bruce Springsteen is doing with his trivialization of the September 11 New York aerospace mishaps by turning the carnage into a gleeful rhyme fest.

    It's going to be bad enough come September 11, 2002 when all the major networks spew out vitriol against an innocent-until-proven guilty Osama Bin Laden while laying on the America-the-Beautiful patriotism as thick as Rosie O'Donnell's left thigh.

    Springsteen made this album solely as a cadaver chase that's in pursuit of the few shekels still left over after the money-grubbing spouses finished picking over the corpses of their World Trade Center dead.

    Those of us who lost money on Wall Street because we couldn't trade futures options when the NYSE closed for three or four days are particularly offended by Springsteen's smarmy paean to a couple of dead NYPD and NYFD bozos who earn, what, $50K a year! We, for one, will not miss theseu under-achievers who didn't even have the sense to ask for stock options.

    Renowned music critic Pauline Kael has called "The Rising" an "insipid little collection of frightfully schmaltzy poems that honor people so ignorant that they jumped out of the World Trade Center before rescuers could come to their aid. These aren't heroes or victims, these are sacredy cats!"

    And what of the E Street Band? They are nothing more than minor players who for three decades have circled around Springsteen picking at the anorexic groupies and whiney homos that "The Boss" passes by when selecting his bedmate at the end of each night's performance.

    It is a good thing that the United States Supreme Court last month outlawed the Star Spangled Banner as our nation's official Pledge of Allegiance. Otherwise, Springsteen would have no doubt added this boozy ballad to an album that is already so smarmy that it will send a diabetic into toxic shock.

    Springsteen has always been a Commie anti-capitalist. To realize that, one has only to listen to such anti-business songs as "Brown-Eyed Girl" and "Borned in the USA." Yet "The Rising" is capitalism at its purest: He wants to earn residuals off the rotting bones of the dead WTC victims, even as the maggots crawl through their eye sockets and infest their carnal regions that no longer give pleasure to spouses who have only recently re-entered the dating pool.

    We know we speak for everyone on Slashdot when we call Bruce Springsteen an ambulance chaser for releasing "The Rising."

    Or perhaps Springsteen is just jealous that Mr. Osama Bin Laden couldn't find anything in New Jersey as worthy as the two WTC towers for being made into such an honorable political statement for Arab and Afghanistan independence.

    1. Re:Bruce Springsteen's Blood Money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Those of us who lost money on Wall Street because we couldn't trade futures options when the NYSE closed for three or four days are particularly offended by Springsteen's smarmy paean....

      The NYSE supports the trading of neither futures, options, nor this mythical "futures options" instrument you have just fabricated. The NYSE lets you trade stocks, and that's it.

      You are therefore, dear sir, an idiot.

    2. Re:Bruce Springsteen's Blood Money by waferhead · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Is this a troll or a parody?

    3. Re:Bruce Springsteen's Blood Money by Latent+IT · · Score: 1

      Maybe it's a parody of a troll!

      Seriously, Borned in the USA?

      (Hint to /. - I can get all this out in 20 seconds. Too long, okay?)

    4. Re:Bruce Springsteen's Blood Money by nelsonal · · Score: 1

      Futures options do exist, they are simply options on futures, and you can trade them on CBOT and maybe CME, aswell as some of the other minor exchanges (Philly, Pacific, etc.) The trade isn't as liquid as say Eurodollar futures, but it beats eggs or milk futures. I also think they were trading around the 12th or 13th since neither Chicago exchanges were threatend, and they're trying to become the global exchange just like NYSE, NASDAQ, Dax, LSE and the other major country bourses.

      --
      Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
    5. Re:Bruce Springsteen's Blood Money by Slashamatic · · Score: 2
      Also it is normal to stop trading on derivative instruments if there is a major problem trading the underlying. For example, trading on the DOW future isn't a good idea if the NYSE is closed.

      To trade is human, to hedge, divine!

  9. Not exactly. by mindstrm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Microwave is generally everying above 1Ghz up to near visible light.

    Microwave ovens operate at around 2.4Ghz usually... the reason they can heat up water is due to the frequency itself, and it's ability to cause water molecules to move around in the field. It's not, as some say, because it's the resonant frequency of a water molecule.

    Microwave at higher frequencies could even be harmless.. depending.. the reason it screws up electronics is because of the photoelectric effect.. the microwaves end up creating lots of electric currents that burn out the equipment.

    It's quite concievable that this would work yet be generally harmless to a human.

    1. Re:Not exactly. by Medevo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      the reason they can heat up water is due to the frequency itself, and it's ability to cause water molecules to move around in the field. It's not, as some say, because it's the resonant frequency of a water molecule.

      Wouldnt this mean that we could also make a large microwave, and use it as some sort of weapon (not realy).

      Also do the home microwaves use a very specific frequency?, or else photoelectric effect could short circit the hearts electric timing system.

      Medevo

    2. Re:Not exactly. by The+Electric+Messiah · · Score: 2, Informative
      the reason they can heat up water is due to the frequency itself, and it's ability to cause water molecules to move around in the field. It's not, as some say, because it's the resonant frequency of a water molecule.



      Nearly correct, but a bit incomplete. It is because of the frequency of the microwave photon. The energy level of a microwave photon happens to correspond to the gap in energy levels between the ground quantum state of a water molecule and higher "excited" quantum states. The microwave photon collides with the water molecule. The water molecule absorbs the energy of the photon, causing it to "jump" to a higher energy level. Once enough of these photons are absorbed by enough water molecules, the average kinetic energy of the entire group of water molecules is raised, which in turn raises the temperature.

      --
      "Bold as Love"
    3. Re:Not exactly. by idontneedanickname · · Score: 3, Insightful

      You do know that humans are 70+% water, don't you?

    4. Re:Not exactly. by Vulture_ · · Score: 1
      Wouldnt this mean that we could also make a large microwave, and use it as some sort of weapon (not realy).
      You don't need a "large" microwave for that. The magnetron in a typical microwave oven is more than enough to cook someone, or so I'm told. Since the magnetron emits a coherent microwave beam, you can aim it at someone's head for maximum effect.
      --

      The only way the typical /.er can pick up a chick is with a forklift. -- AC

    5. Re:Not exactly. by matrix29 · · Score: 2

      Wouldnt this mean that we could also make a large microwave, and use it as some sort of weapon (not really).

      You don't need a "large" microwave for that. The magnetron in a typical microwave oven is more than enough to cook someone, or so I'm told. Since the magnetron emits a coherent microwave beam, you can aim it at someone's head for maximum effect.

      I think FUTURAMA already demonstrated that when Leela went on a killing spree in the "What If..." episode "ANTHOLOGY OF INTEREST I" when she wanted to find out "what it would be like if I were more impulsive"?

      Leela smashed a hole in the microwave oven door, turned it on and killed Bender.

      I would assume there SHOULD be some safety circuits to prevent such a method for creating a portable killing machine (by using a huge battery backpack and a power inverter or just plugging it into the car's power outlet while driving). However, given the corners cut in corporate profit motives, I suspect there may be MICROWAVE TOTING MURDERERS walking the streets right now.

      Seriously though, there wouldn't be too much effort to turn a Microwave oven into a DEATH TOY with a bit of physical hacking of the case, electronics, shielding, & coming up with a really portable power supply.

      --
      "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
  10. The good old DED by Valar · · Score: 2, Funny

    Air Force Research Laboratory's Directed Energy Directorate
    I believe that is under the Department of Redundancy Department.

    --

    ====
    Crudely Drawn Games
    1. Re:The good old DED by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not quite funny man. Directed Energy = laser and directorate = bunch of people trying to get something into production.

    2. Re:The good old DED by Valar · · Score: 1

      i understand this. what you must understand is that they both have direct in them.

      --

      ====
      Crudely Drawn Games
    3. Re:The good old DED by Vulture_ · · Score: 1
      Maybe it would be clearer if it were "Directed-Energy Directorate". It is a directorate that deals with directed-energy devices.

      Directed energy is energy which is directed to go in some particular direction -- that is, energy which is aimed at some target. This is as opposed to undirected energy, which flows forth in all directions, like a bomb.

      Note that bombs with shaped charges, such as the one used to blast a hole into the hull of the USS Cole, are also a sort of directed energy, though I don't know if the Directed Energy Directorate handles that sort of thing. A shaped charge is an explosive charge whose explosive force goes mostly in one particular direction, rather than in all directions as with a conventional bomb. Shaped charges have been used at least since World War II in anti-tank weapons, though many modern tanks are equipped with a type of armor that is highly resistant -- if not impervious -- to shaped charges. Details of how this armor works is highly classified for obvious reasons.

      --

      The only way the typical /.er can pick up a chick is with a forklift. -- AC

  11. Household chemicals? by jafuser · · Score: 2, Funny
    The COIL [Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser] utilizes industrial strength household chemicals to produce its power.

    Household chemicals? Ooo... so if I mix some ammonia, iodized salt, water, and ketchup, I'll have one of these? I bet my neighbors will quit making noise at 3 in the morning when they know I've got this!

    --
    Please consider making an automatic monthly recurring donation to the EFF
    1. Re:Household chemicals? by SlugLord · · Score: 1

      "Industrial strength" AND "household" at the same time" Wow! That's gotta use some sort of quantum duality or something.

    2. Re:Household chemicals? by sirsex · · Score: 1

      I bet my neighbors will quit making noise at 3 in the morning when they know I've got this!

      I'm not so sure, our AK-47 didn't to sh*t. Damn Texans ain't scared of guns.

  12. Oh oh! by Quasar1999 · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Brings new meaning to the warning on laser pointers... Don't look directly at the beam...

    OUCH!

    --

    ---
    Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
    1. Re:Oh oh! by falzer · · Score: 0, Redundant

      Don't look at beam with remaining good eye.

  13. zerg by Lord+Omlette · · Score: 2

    Allow me to quote someone from this very site:

    --start--
    Hit in the ass by a laser
    Livin' it up when I'm goin' down
    Hit in the ass by a laser
    Lovin' it up 'til I hit the ground
    -Wadetemp
    ---end---

    --
    [o]_O
  14. Coagulate? by BitHive · · Score: 3, Informative
    "The laser can cut like a scalpel as well as coagulate bleeding."

    Do you mean it cauterizes the wound? That is when intense heat stops bleeding. Coagulation is when the platelets aggregate to form clots. I doubt the laser is doing this.

    1. Re:Coagulate? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well done!, maybe they should have a BioGrad,
      just for fun, for like, burning with lasers!

    2. Re:Coagulate? by Worminater · · Score: 1

      Your right, all star wars nerds know lasers cauterizes the wound to stop the bleeding:)

  15. Fun with lasers? RTFM for lasers... by swordboy · · Score: 5, Funny

    First page of the instruction manual that comes with a laser:

    CAUTION: DO NOT LOOK INTO LASER WITH REMAINING EYE!

    --

    Life is the leading cause of death in America.
  16. Yea but,,, by FreeLinux · · Score: 5, Funny

    All that money. All that research. All those lasers.

    And yet the one thing I ask for is still missing. That's right. I want some sharks with frickin lasers attached to their heads.

    Throw me a bone here, people.

    1. Re:Yea but,,, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      See Austin Powers 3.

    2. Re:Yea but,,, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe...when it eventually shows up on TV. Or when they start charging $0.02 a movie.

  17. Thats a hell of a pen... by Bo'Bob'O · · Score: 3, Funny

    Laser Medical Pen is 12 inches long, less than 1-inch in diameter, and weighs a mere pound.

    1. Re:Thats a hell of a pen... by Mononoke · · Score: 1

      Yeah, think of the millions in research grants they could have gotten if they'd have called it a Laser Medical Dildo instead.

      --
      NetInfo connection failed for server 127.0.0.1/local
    2. Re:Thats a hell of a pen... by Worminater · · Score: 1

      If they jacked up the power, but a cap on the extension length and increased the thickness, we got us a light saber:)

    3. Re:Thats a hell of a pen... by Psiven · · Score: 0

      We can do this by first creating a laser beam of intense power and portablize it. Then behind the source of the beam you place a gravitaional object so imense energy of the laser is attracted back after it escapes about 4 ft away.

    4. Re:Thats a hell of a pen... by Vulture_ · · Score: 1
      Yes, and it would also be immovable.

      A better idea is to create a magnetic field and fill it with plasma. That would be quite easy if you could make a fusion reactor the size of a cucumber...

      --

      The only way the typical /.er can pick up a chick is with a forklift. -- AC

    5. Re:Thats a hell of a pen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why even bother? Just adjust the LASER so the focal point is 5-6 feet out from the handle. Who cares if dispersed beam goes beyond that, the 5 or 6 feet will be your cutting range.

    6. Re:Thats a hell of a pen... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It would be quite easy if you could make a fusion reactor at all.

  18. Ambulances by Gabrill · · Score: 1

    And the paramedics don't have these WHY? 2nd attempt. Slashdot doesn't think I can formulate a though and type it out within 20 seconds.

    --
    Always going forward, 'cause we can't find reverse.
    1. Re:Ambulances by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I'm guessing that ambulance workers are already capable of cutting people with regular scalpels - maybe in the future these devices will prove to be faster and more efficient or something and can be taken up by emergency staff, but when it comes to saving lives, you don't want to try and equip your medics with the 'latest crazy gadgets'.

      Just my guess, anyway.

    2. Re:Ambulances by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Formulate a what?

    3. Re:Ambulances by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      maybe -- though perhaps you should proof-read.

  19. Active Denial Technology by halftrack · · Score: 2

    When confronted with the rumors of an Active Denial Technology being developed; government officials claimed that this was only a rumor. They also said that the government do not intend to pursue such a technology. Other sources within DARPA and the Department of Defence says that this is not true and that several government institutions are actively using it today.

    --
    Look a monkey!
    1. Re:Active Denial Technology by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ADT...so, like, the security company?

  20. I've got one by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Everyone should have a Death Ray.

    Especially a battery operated, portable Death Ray!

    I just picked up a 3 Watt laser diode at a Hamfest recently. It's whats at the core of the med-pack and portable med-pens displayed. This thing is really fucking cool. It will make paper and wire insulation, plastic, etc. burst into flame from about 1/4 inch away.

    The diode is made by Spectra Diode Labs (SDL) and channels 3 Watts of optical energy at 808 nanometers into a fiber optic. I have that clamped into a standard mechanical pencil to hold the fiber and allow it to be directed with some control.

    The spot that appears is very scary because it appears weak red, about 5 mW of visible light energy is present but 98 % of the optical power is invisible in the infrared spectrum.

    I haven't tried any home laser surgery yet, but it makes a dandy wire stripper or marking scribe. I also use it to open sealed ni-cad battery packs and change cells for walkie-talkies, etc.

    Yep, Everyone should have a Death Ray!

    --
    -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    1. Re:I've got one by peatbakke · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Sounds like you've got an Nd:LSB laser. If you want to see something cool, track down a suitably sized potassium titanyl phosphate (KPT) crystal. It doubles the frequency, turning that faint red to a brilliant green. I'm not sure what the efficiency loss is, but it's a neat trick.

    2. Re:I've got one by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Actually it's a single diode putting out 3W at 808 nm. They currently sell for around $400.00 (US).

      I've got it mounted to the outside of a dual D-Cell battery holder clip (from Radio Shack, of all places!) with a small power switch and a current limiting resistor in series.

      These are used as printer's plate thermal developing units in larger arrays.

      These are also used as pumps for DPSS (Diode Pumped Solid State) lasers. I've got a nice chunk of KTP used to double 1064nm down to 532 (green), but I need to find a large piece of Nd:YVO (Vanadate) which transforms the 808 up to 1064nm.
      This is how most of the green laser pointers work, they have a diode similar but smaller, putting out about 100-500mW at 808 nm and using similar crystals to transform the frequency to 532 nm.

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    3. Re:I've got one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      about 1/4 inch away.

      Ooo! Nasty!

    4. Re:I've got one by peatbakke · · Score: 2, Interesting

      hah. well, that's what I get for reading your post too quickly. i've been using 808nm diodes to pump Nd:LSB, and for some reason I assumed you were pumping Nd:LSB/YVO. duh, me.

      See if you can get your hands on Nd:LSB. It's a bit more expensive than YVO, but it's got a *much* higher saturation intensity, and more efficient absorption of 808nm as well ... not that you really have to worry about that sort of thing when you're playing around with a 3W laser. Most of the applications I've seen with LSB are for compact, low powered situations ...

    5. Re:I've got one by Slashamatic · · Score: 2

      How do you keep the thing cool? I have seen 10mw semiconductor lasers with some serious cooling in the form of a big heatsink. I understand the normal medical lasers have an assembly carrying power and cooling to link it back to a power unit.

    6. Re:I've got one by Vulture_ · · Score: 1

      Mind you, this is a 3W laser. That's not a whole hell of a lot of power. Most night lights consume more. Considering such a low-power laser could do that kind of damage, imagine what a big (100W, perhaps) laser could do. (Of course, you have issues of cooling and so forth, but that's not the point.)

      --

      The only way the typical /.er can pick up a chick is with a forklift. -- AC

    7. Re:I've got one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      3W is classed as a high-power laser. It's perfectly sufficient to cause a lot of damage. Don't get confused by thinking of a standard 40W lamp, which takes 40W of electrical power and dissipates, partly as light over a wide range of wavelengths, and as heat. A 3W laser will produce 3W of coherent, monochromatic light in a low-divergence cone. Note that it probably requires substancially more than 3W of electrical power.

    8. Re:I've got one by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 3, Informative

      You also must realize that that entire 3W is concentrated into the diameter of the fiber optic. I think they are about 60 micro-meters inner core diameter, so the power distribution is something on the order of a KW per square mm. LOTSA power in a VERY small area!

      The beam isn't collimated out of the fiber, so after about 1/4" or so, the beam diverges enough that it doesn't set things on fire. I have a simple collimator from a laser diode, and with a little tweaking, I can set things afire from 8 to 10 inches away!! That is REALLY cool.

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    9. Re:I've got one by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, I was amazed that the thing barely gets hot at all. It consumes a full 5A at 3V, so it is taking in 15W and putting 3 of that out in light, so it's actually only dissipating about 12W or so of heat.

      The diode package is a small 1/2" dia. gold can embedded in a slab of beryllium copper(?). I have the thing screwed directly into the positive
      battery terminal on the battery clip holder.

      During operation, I tend to use short bursts, and after about 10-15 minutes of blowing things up it just starts getting warm. Continuously, it would probably heat to dangerous temps within 1-2 minutes. A simple CPU cooling fan/heatsink combo would be more than adequate for continuous operation, which the diode _was_ designed for.

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
    10. Re:I've got one by Slashamatic · · Score: 2
      This seems quite efficient at 20%. Maybe it is a more a problem with true visible light lasers which tend to be less efficient. I guess the bulk of the battery helps also to dissipate the temperature a little but I'm still impressed.

      The problem with a CPU heatsink/cooling fan is that it would make the thing a little unwieldy for hand-held aiming.

    11. Re:I've got one by matrix29 · · Score: 2

      Everyone should have a Death Ray.

      Especially a battery operated, portable Death Ray!

      I just picked up a 3 Watt laser diode at a Hamfest recently. It's whats at the core of the med-pack and portable med-pens displayed. This thing is really fucking cool. It will make paper and wire insulation, plastic, etc. burst into flame from about 1/4 inch away.

      The diode is made by Spectra Diode Labs (SDL) and channels 3 Watts of optical energy at 808 nanometers into a fiber optic. I have that clamped into a standard mechanical pencil to hold the fiber and allow it to be directed with some control.

      The spot that appears is very scary because it appears weak red, about 5 mW of visible light energy is present but 98 % of the optical power is invisible in the infrared spectrum.

      I haven't tried any home laser surgery yet, but it makes a dandy wire stripper or marking scribe. I also use it to open sealed ni-cad battery packs and change cells for walkie-talkies, etc.

      Yep, Everyone should have a Death Ray!

      Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy (or scavange) the laser diode from a CD Burner, tack on a power supply and burn away?

      --
      "Face it, a nation that maintains a 72% approval rating on George W. Bush is a nation with a very loose grip on reality.
    12. Re:I've got one by Zurk · · Score: 1

      you can probably double the power with a nicol prism and two of those thingies.
      coherent optics r00l.

    13. Re:I've got one by Mister+Transistor · · Score: 2, Informative

      When you "burn" a CD-R, you are just heating up an organic dye and making it change color (go clear).
      This happens with about 20-30mW of laser power, about 1/100th the power of the laser i'm talking about. If you focus the laser down to a pinpoint, lasers in that class will _enventually_ heat things like dark paper, black plastic enough to just start to burn. It takes 30 secs or so to start things on fire at that power level... 3W makes em burst into flame instantly!!

      --
      -- You are in a maze of little, twisty passages, all different... --
  21. COIL lasers are bad. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    They give off nasty gasses when they operate, HELLO EPA and if one of those planes that carries them crashes there is a 2 mile radius kill zone from the chemicals. Yea, it doesn't tell you that on the website.

    The laser pen is cool though.

  22. Hey Americans by BlackTriangle · · Score: -1

    Why don't you use your lasers to mutilate your sons' genitals? Sounds like a plan!

  23. Life imitates art? by gwizah · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is it just me or does this laser laser resemble something out of Real Genius? Now all we need is a giant Jiffy-Pop package and a mean ol' professor...

    --

    There is no spork.
  24. But they don't have... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A set of computer watches that can be linked into a Beowulf cluster.

  25. Re:Yea but,,, (SPOILER ALERT) by ZuG · · Score: 1
    Perhaps you didn't see the newest flick? He gets his wish....

  26. Anticipating the paradox... by Bingo+Foo · · Score: 2
    I'm waiting for the typical reaction to the list of technologies on that site. The thing that will raise the ire of /.ers most is the Active Denial Technology, which they will argue is inhumane, cruel, tool of the imperialist hegemony, blah blah, and so on. The paradox is, this is a non lethal device that causes no permanent damage. The slashbots will go all ga-ga fantasizing about airborne free electron lasers and tabletop or backpack tank-melting ray-guns (Just like in sci-fi and comic books!!!), but heaven forbid the evil military industrial complex research non lethal weapons....

    Bury this post and watch to see if my prediction comes true....

    --
    taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
    1. Re:Anticipating the paradox... by blincoln · · Score: 1

      I don't have a problem with a non-lethal weapon that causes temporary pain without permanent damage to its targets. I think it's vastly preferable to the alternatives.
      I do, however, think it's unethical to test such a weapon on animals, especially when they have human volunteers for the project.

      --
      "...always new atoms but always doing the same dance, remembering what the dance was yesterday." -Richard Feynman
    2. Re:Anticipating the paradox... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course with the army you never quite know what exactly they mean when they say volunteers ...

    3. Re:Anticipating the paradox... by SlugLord · · Score: 1

      Perhaps the problem is that it's only non-lethal if you turn it off within a few seconds. Yep, it's in there. It says the beam would only have to be on a few seconds. Just like touching a hot lightbulb, if you keep applying the energy, it will burn. The intent is that the beam would just be flashed on and off, causing pain but no damage. The beam could presumably be left on as long as one wished, vaporizing (ok maybe just badly burning) the assailants.

    4. Re:Anticipating the paradox... by Vulture_ · · Score: 1

      The point of the original poster was that, even if the beam is left on and the assailants are severely injured as a result, that's no worse than the current common practice of drowning them in a hail of hot lead, which also causes rather severe injuries.

      --

      The only way the typical /.er can pick up a chick is with a forklift. -- AC

    5. Re:Anticipating the paradox... by NorthDude · · Score: 1

      They meant designated volunteer.

      --


      I'd rather be sailing...
    6. Re:Anticipating the paradox... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Of course, you are making that up with no basis whatsoever on the website posted, or anything else.
      It says the burning sensation starts after a few seconds of exposure, and stops once the person is out of the beam (Whether it was turned off, or they moved out of it)
      Nowhere does it say that only doesn't cause damage if they turn it off immediatly. You just made that up.
      In fact, it says that it WILL only cause pain without damage for as long as it is on, with the only side effects being tenderness after prolonged exposure.

  27. Star Wars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow, now they just need to control the "length" of the laser and we'll have fully functioning lightsabers.

  28. Did anyone read the disclaimer page.. by johnlcallaway · · Score: 3, Funny
    ... for the site here? It reads:
    Official U.S. government system for authorized use only. Do not discuss, enter, transfer, process or transmit classified, sensitive national security information of greater sensitivity than that for which this system is authorized. Use of this system constitutes consent to monitoring. Unauthorized use could result in criminal prosecution. Unclassified, non-senstive, non-privacy act use only.
    Where are the privacy advocates when you really need them??? The were all whining yesterday about toll system monitoring, yet just by clicking a slashdot link we consent to monitoring.

    You people are just not doing your jobs and will have to be fragged.
    --
    I rarely read replies, it's my opinion and if you thought about your opinion a little more, I'm OK with that.
    1. Re:Did anyone read the disclaimer page.. by Vulture_ · · Score: 1
      yet just by clicking a slashdot link we consent to monitoring.
      Ever heard of Web server logs? By clicking any link you consent to monitoring.
      --

      The only way the typical /.er can pick up a chick is with a forklift. -- AC

  29. Not Really by narftrek · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Actually I think most of the things we have today are because of the ideas in books/movies/etc. Not becuase some writer "predicted" it but because some reader thought "man it would be cool to have one of those communicator thingys" and so he made one. I doubt most writers are ahead of thier time but they have damn good ideas which us ubergeeks latch on to and make a reality. Mark my words, one day some geek will beat his brains out until warp engines are cruising ships around the galaxy not because Gene Roddenberry had some kinda vision of the future but because his idea seemed like it made some sense and sparked the brain of a few fans.

  30. Re:Fun with lasers? RTFM for lasers... by DarkHelmet · · Score: 2

    They should have the rest of the manual in braille for those who don't heed the caution.

    --
    /^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
  31. Begreif es, Motherfucker by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    INTRO:
    Ich scheiß auf euch Schlampen
    Begreif es, Motherfucker
    Ja, dieses Album ist all den Lehrern gewidmet,
    Die mir erzählten, dass ich es nie zu was bringen würde
    Es ist den Leuten gewidmet, die über den Gebäuden lebten,
    Vor denen ich früher meine Geschäfte abgewickelt habe,
    Diese Leute, die wegen mir die Polizei geholt haben,
    Wenn ich bloß versuchte, etwas Geld zu machen, Um meine Tochter zu ernähren
    Und es ist all den Niggaz gewidmet, die sich abrackern
    Verstehst du, was ich meine
    Ha, es ist alles gut, baby-baby, uh

    Das Ganze war ein Traum
    Ich las immer das "Word Up"-Magazin
    Salt'n'Pepa und Heavy D in einer Limousine
    Ich habe die Poster an meine Wand gehängt
    Jeden Samstag kam Marley Marl's "Rap Attack" im Radio
    Ich hab's auf Cassette aufgenommen, bis sie voll war
    Rauchte Gras und Bambus, trank "Private Stock"-Bier
    Ganz früher, als ich das rot-schwarze Holzfällerhemd anhatte
    Mit dem passenden Hut dazu
    Erinnert ihr euch noch an Rappin' Duke, "duh-ha, duh-ha"?
    Ihr hättet nie gedacht,
    Dass Hip Hop es so weit bringen würde
    Jetzt stehe ich im Rampenlicht, weil ich tight reime
    Es ist Zeit, dass ich bezahlt werde,
    Explodiere wie das World Trade Center (Anschlag 1993)
    Bin ein geborener Sünder, das Gegenteil eines Gewinners
    Ich erinnere mich, dass ich immer Sardinen zu Mittag aß
    Peace an Ron G, Brucey B, Kid Capri
    An Funkmaster Flex und Lovebug Starsky
    Ich bin so groß geworden, wie ihr es erwartet hattet
    Ruft mich zu Hause an, selbe Nummer, selbe Gegend Es ist alles gut

    Und wenn du's nicht weißt, jetzt weißt du's, Nigga

    CHORUS:
    Du weißt ganz genau, wer du bist
    Lass dich von niemandem unterkriegen
    Greif nach den Sternen
    Du hast es versucht, nicht viele taten das Denn du bist der Einzige
    Ich gebe dir viel von meiner Liebe

    Ich veränderte mich von einem gewöhnlichen Dieb
    Zu jemandem, der per Du mit Robin Leach ist
    (Leach moderierte "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous")
    Und ich bin weit davon entfernt, billig zu sein
    Ich rauche den ganzen Tag Gras mit meinen Jungs
    Verbreite Liebe auf die Brooklyn-Art
    Moet- und Alize-Drinks halten mich stets betrunken
    Früher machten sich Mädels über mich lustig
    Jetzt schreiben sie mir Briefe, weil sie mich vermissen
    Ich dachte nie, dass ich es mit Rap schaffen könnte
    Ich war zu sehr dran gewöhnt, Knarren zu benutzen
    Jetzt liegen die Mädels auf mir,
    Wie früher die Butter auf dem Toast lag
    Vom Mississippi runter bis zur Ostküste
    Habe Häuser in Queens, Marihuana für Wochen
    Ausverkaufte Plätze, um Biggie Smalls rappen zu hören
    Ich lebe ein Leben ohne Angst
    Schenke meiner Kleinen 5 Karat-Ohrringe
    Mittagessen, späte Frühstücke, Interviews am Pool
    Werde als Depp angesehen, weil ich die Schule schmiss
    Ein Klischee eines missverstandenen schwarzen Mannes
    Und es ist trotzdem alles gut

    Und wenn du's nicht weißt, jetzt weißt du's, Nigga

    -CHORUS-

    Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis
    Als ich total pleite war, konnte ich's mir nicht vorstellen
    TV mit 127 cm Bildröhre, viel Kohle, ein Ledersofa
    Habe zwei Autos, eine Limousine mit 'nem Chauffeur
    Die Telefonrechnung ist ungefähr 2000 Dollar netto
    Aber kein Grund zur Sorge, das erledigt mein Buchhalter
    Und meine ganze Clique hängt ab
    Den ganzen Tag am feiern, keine Sozialwohnungen mehr
    Ich denke an mein 1 Zimmer-Apartment zurück
    Jetzt fährt meine Mutter 'nen Acura,
    Mit einem Nerz auf ihrem Rücken
    Und sie liebt es, mit mir zu prahlen, ist doch klar
    Sie lächelt immer, wenn mein Gesicht in der "Source" steht
    Wir regten uns immer auf, wenn der Hauswirt Stress machte
    Keine Heizung,
    Wir fragten uns, warum Weihnachten an uns vorüberzog
    Geburtstage waren die schlimmsten Tage
    Jetzt nippen wir am Champagner, wenn wir durstig sind
    Verdammt richtig, ich mag das Leben, das ich lebe
    Denn ich veränderte mich vom Negativen zum Positiven
    Und es ist alles... (Es ist alles gut)

    Und wenn du's nicht weißt, jetzt weißt du's, Nigga

  32. Obligatory Simpsons Reference by Cyno01 · · Score: 1, Funny

    Young Frink: Well, sure, the Frinkiac-7 looks impressive [to student] Don't touch it! [back to class] But I predict that within 100 years computers will be twice as powerful, 10,000 times larger, and so expensive that only the five richest kings in Europe will own them.

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    1. Re:Obligatory Simpsons Reference by BigBadBri · · Score: 0, Troll

      This is an example of the Simpsons hiding irony so that US audiences aren't frightened by it.

      It's based on the following (true) quote:

      "I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 .sig > /dev/null

      --
      oh brave new world, that has such people in it!
    2. Re:Obligatory Simpsons Reference by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he was right. I mean, how many computers from 1943 are there? If anything he overestimated the demand.

  33. Not good for checking pupil dialation by kmahan · · Score: 1

    Hope it's packaged differently then the typical penlight that the doc keeps in his pocket for checking the pupil response of your eye. Imagine him/her making a mistake by grabbing the wrong one out of his shirt pocket and shining it into your eye. "Oooops".

    --
    Invalid Checksum. Retrying.
    1. Re:Not good for checking pupil dialation by CableModemSniper · · Score: 1

      The MedPen is 12" long. Somehow I don;t think they'll be carrying them in their front shirt pocket.

      --
      Why not fork?
    2. Re:Not good for checking pupil dialation by waferbuster · · Score: 1

      Which brings up the old "is that a laser pen in your pocket, or are you just really happy to see me?" joke.

      --
      I'm an individual! Just like everyone else!
  34. This isn't much of a worry for me by Zen+Programmer · · Score: 1

    Considering that I don't sleep naked when my friends spend the night.

    1. Re:This isn't much of a worry for me by ceejayoz · · Score: 2

      I imagine a laser scapel will make short work of your underwear :-p

    2. Re:This isn't much of a worry for me by C0LDFusion · · Score: 1

      And seriously, I have friends who will do anything to get their pranks done. B'sides, the other option is they can seal your mouth shut and make endless inane "Matrix" jokes.

      "What? You want us to dial 911? Let me ask, what good is 911 if you're unable...to...speak?"

      --
      Only in slashdot are posts of solidarity modded at -1 Redundant, while posts of antagonism are modded as -1 Flamebait.
  35. How can lasers be for fun and profit? by MacOS_Rules · · Score: 0

    Step 1: Build / Buy lasers

    Step 2: Attach them to something (shark's heads, for example, as per other posts)

    Step 3: Copyright this

    Step 4: ???

    Step 5: Profit!!!

    Step 6: Fun!!! (For you, anyway)

    Step 7: Make a beowulf cluster of them for added fun and profit

    --
    If a man's character is to be abused there's nobody like a relative to do the business. -Thackeray, William
  36. Classified? by mtec · · Score: 0, Flamebait


    Does anyone else besides me think that this site shouldn't be up? Do we have to tell the French everything?

    --
    Cake or Death? Cake Please!
  37. Surgery with no blood? Cattle Mutilations? by Jaiden · · Score: 0

    I guess they can't blame cattle mutilations on aliens anymore. "No human technology can produce this precision and with NO BLOOD!!" Maybe they've just been testing this one for a few years.

    --
    this sig has been rated E for Everyone.
  38. Actually... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    A lot of things that the general public first saw in sci-fi stories were already being discussed in the scientific community. The science fiction writers were often in contact with scientists (as friends, sometimes coworkers and in other relationships), and were inspired by what the scientists were already discussing.

  39. The good old HERD by Animats · · Score: 2

    That's the Directed Energy Directorate. Undirected energy R&D is handled by the Energetic Materials Branch of the Air Force Research Laboratory, which develops conventional bombs.

  40. Star trek device by Bzap · · Score: 1

    Actually, Adams wrote about the star trek device for sealing open wounds :)

  41. Uhhh, boldly solving non-existing problems? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What is wrong with electrocautery?

    See it here!

  42. Yes, "coagulate" by Lurkingrue · · Score: 1

    No, the original poster got it right.

    When we use surgical lasers, we tend use a more narrow-spectrum green beam to coagulate (I've most often used argon) -- the green light is better tuned to the absorption properties of hemoglobin (and thus a greater amount of the energy is absorbed by the blood).

    The cutting beams we use can be at a different wavelength, and they also tend to have a tighter focus and will have a longer pulse (even continuous)...The tighter focus and longer pulse are all better for cutting. With something like tattoo removal, or other superficial uses, you'll tend to use a less focused beam.

    1. Re:Yes, "coagulate" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Original poster said "coagulate bleeding" when in fact it is blood that coagulates.

    2. Re:Yes, "coagulate" by Marc2k · · Score: 1

      s/coagulate bleeding/facilitate coagulation/ then

      --
      --- What
  43. Can't resolve domain name by Tyreth · · Score: 1

    For some reason I can't connect to this website. Any chance someone could give me the IP address so I can view the website?

    Unless it's been /.'ed

    Thanks.

  44. oh great, another security checkpoint failure by merlyn · · Score: 2
    [...] a unique, compact, portable, and battery-operated laser capability. The laser can cut like a scalpel as well as coagulate bleeding.
    Great. This means that every time I board an airplane with my normal laser pointer, the security thugs are going to need to see it operating to make sure it's not one of the dangerous kind.

    And ya know what, they aren't doing that already. One more thing to slow us down. And just how do you see a laser scalpel from a normal metal ball-point pen on the X-ray?

    --
    1. Re:oh great, another security checkpoint failure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As it has been mentioned, the "pen" is much bigger than the regular laser pointer. So, until technology makes it smaller, you are safe.

  45. Here is the plan by kasperd · · Score: 1
    1. Lasers
    2. Fun
    3. ???
    4. Profit
    --

    Do you care about the security of your wireless mouse?
  46. Not Especially Useful in the Field by vaguelyamused · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While the concept sounds cool this isn't really useful in the field for emergency care. Disposable electrical cauteries that do exactly the same thing have been around for years. Very rarely does someone die from external bleeding that could be cauterized. Those types of wounds can usually be controlled easily with direct pressure, pressure points, etc. What kills people is pulmonary injuries, internal bleeding and/or neurological injuries. If you get shot or stabbed, closing the entrance/exit wounds with cauterization does very little for you. All the serious damage is on the inside and the only answer is being taken to the O.R. This is particually true of gun shot wounds as the shockwave around the bullet cavitates the tissue around its path through the body doing massive damage, of course relative to the size and more so velocity KE=1/2 m * v^2.

    --
    STOP ROCK VIDEO
  47. ya got it wrong... by kcb93x · · Score: 1

    I want some frickin sharks with some frickin lasers attached to their fricken heads.

    Dr. Evil, Austin Powers: Goldmember

    --
    There are 4 boxes to use in the defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order. Starting now.
  48. Tinfoil hat mode on? by cr0sh · · Score: 2
    Regarding the laser "pen" device:

    How many of you have read the "reports" regarding supposed cattle mutilations coupled with UFOs, and how the incisions/cuts on the carcesses seem to be made with surgical precision, but no loss of blood at the incision (ie, the cuts seem to have been cauterized)?

    I know there is at least one account I have read of that described the "aliens" seen using a laser like device, about one foot long...

    --
    Reason is the Path to God - Anon
  49. Wrong, Frequency is not critical this time. by n1vux · · Score: 1
    Dragging Quantum levels in here is just a red herring or grandstanding. Of course the engergy and frequency of a photon is related by quantum levels; even the kinetic energy being converted as heat must be absorbed and dumped in quantum units, but that's irrelevant to the question at hand. The poster who said frequency was irrelevant was basically correct, there is no resonance involved; that was the key point.

    (For other things like cellphones, the ratio of wavelength to body-part size could be critical to efficiency of heating, so frequency can be critical, and is so frequently.)

    "FAQs About Water and Steam" (The International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam)
    "Sometimes you may hear that the microwaves are interacting with a resonant frequency of the water molecule (like a radio gets tuned to a frequency), but that is actually not the case. Anything with a dipole moment will absorb microwave radiation, so microwave ovens will also heat fats and sugars, for example. "
    FAQ or cache
    Has link to How Microwaves works sites with more links.

    The wavelength of the microwaves needs to be comparable to the size of the object which then gets an induced alternating electrical field. That alternating field drives the molecules as little syncronous induction-motor rotors. Heat being just molecular kinetic energy, it is felt as, and cooks, as, any other heat source, but inside-out.

    . It is because of the frequency of the microwave photon.

    NO! If you check standard texts, you will find that microwave oven performance is largely insensitive to variation in frequency, and indeed may vary within the ISM band. Domestic microwave ovens are at about 2.5GHz in the Industrial Scientific and Medical (ISM) Band out of historical coincidence (existing allocation, existing equipment) only. Note that has a wavelength of 12cm, a bit long for a molecular resonance. This is very close to the 2.4G part-15 data and part-97 ham bands. The water and water-vapor absorption is quite weak, being on the flank of the 22GHz weak resonance. Any competent microwave design book, whether for data, radio-astronomy, or diathermy, will have the tables and charts. See for example,

    "resonance lines of water [are] at 22 GHz and a very very strong line at 183 GHz. "
    CEOS or cache

    You can see in the diagram there that absorption does decrease from 1G to 2.5G, it's nothing like a resonance, it's considered an edge of the low "window". In the 10GHz range, we consider clouds to be lenses not opaque absorbers, and that's higher up that peak's flank.

    Under the terms of my ARS radio license, I know I have to abide by federal human/radio safety standards (which will prevent me from anywhere near our full authorized power on 2.4G any time soon! Just thinking about 5W on 10G with feed and dish gain is enough to worry about.). The scarier thing is those who don't know about them are supposed to too.

    The Federal standard for human / radio absorption safety is available from FCC OET RF Safety Home page ; their Consumer Facts watered down version is Human Exposure To Radio Frequency Fields Federal Communications Commission

    73 de radio n1vux