(TotalConservative.com) – Chinese scientists have claimed a revolutionary breakthrough in the development of laser weapons technology that allows them to operate high-energy beams “indefinitely,” without interruption or loss of power. The technical challenge has long delayed the development of advanced laser weapons with severe destructive potential.
Scientists in Changsha, Hunan, at the National University of Defense Technology, have developed a way to cool the laser rapidly and mitigate the development of waste heat, allowing for high-energy lasers to operate for extended periods of time.
Yuan Shengfu published his results in Acta Optica Sinica, a Mandarin-based peer-reviewed publication. In his paper, he claims that beams using this technology can be deployed “indefinitely.” They use a gas system with an optimized flow that not only rapidly cools the interior of the laser generator but also keeps the mirrors clean and with lower vibration of the apparatus. They claim that the technology would allow weapons to be more destructive, operate with enhanced range, and at a reduced expense.
Yuan and his co-authors wrote about the excitement experienced by folks over the power of a really destructive laser ever since the first ruby laser was deployed in the 1960s. They seemingly longed for a weapon like a ‘death ray’ that could “instantly kill targets.” They then lamented the passage of half a century without significant advancements in the technology that would allow the weapon to replace standard kinetic projectiles and rocket-propelled explosives.
The United States has developed multiple laser weapon systems that have been publicly tested and demonstrated to be effective at shooting down different types of missiles, from super-sonic to liquid-propelled rockets. All of the projects were ultimately canceled, which Yuan et al. blame on their lack of destructive power.
Lasers are created by exciting atoms or molecules in a medium to a higher energetic state, crystals and gases have been used previously. The molecules release photons when they return to their ground state which are amplified by mirrors to create the focused beam. During the process the air around the beam is heated which can cause distortion by scattering the amplified photons, weakening the output laser beam. An effective heat sink would greatly improve the potential for large-scale laser weapons.
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