Slashdot Mirror
Curved Laser Beams Could Help Tame Lightning
Urchin writes "Laser beams just gained a new property — they can curve through space. That's what happens when ultrashort laser pulses pass through a phase pattern mask and a lens, which together shift the most intense region of the beam from the center to the right-hand side. The asymmetry in the pulse causes it to drift progressively further to the right along an arc as it travels. The laser beam is so intense that it ionizes the air it passes through to create a curved plasma channel. Those kinds of channels can be up to 100 meters long — direct them at thunderclouds and they could first trigger lightning to spark and then act as a convenient but short-lived lightning rod to guide it safely to the ground, according to some researchers."
"Yeah, curving lasers, very viable".
"Lasers shoot straight, stupid!"
"So this beam is some kind of plasma or what? Laser? Are you kidding?"
Now they will all see! My sharks will be able to shoot lasers from behind a corner!
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
just gained a new property
wait, what? I don't think that's how science works...
What's the value of information that you don't know?
Igor, fire the lasers!
People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
This looks like a clever anti shark plot to me. Eventually the curved beam will go all the way around and kill the shark itself. No thanks, I'm sticking to straight shooting lasers on my sharks. Nice try, Austin.
Negative moral value of force outweighs the positive value of good intentions.
We've already seen bent lasers since 2000 ;)
I think we can keep recursing like this until someone returns 1
Those are obviously blasts of concentrated energon, not lasers. As such, they move slowly and in discrete units. As an added bonus they're easier to draw.
Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
Direct them at tasers and they could first trigger lightning to spark and then act as a convenient but short-lived lightning rod to guide it safely to the ground, according to some researchers."
If a laser could intercept the dart before it hits you ... I can just see it now - instead of tin-foil hats, geeks will be wearing their anti-taser laser phasers.
How fast can it cook 2000 pounds of Jiffy-pop?
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
They just put so many photons into their laser blasts that the blasts can't move that fast anymore. In fact, if they'd put any more photons in, air friction would cause the blasts to burn up before they reach their target.
USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
Personally, I won't be impressed unless I see light bend through space-time. THAT would be a feat!
Meh. I already saw that next year.
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj