Laser rifles

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flamingknives 7/24/2007 3:19:24 PM

FLIR stands for Forward Looking InfraRed. Radar (which, by its definition, involves radio waves, not infrared) has nothing to do with it.

FLIR is an entirely passive system, so if you pulsed it, nothing would happen downrange.

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w34p0n2m4n 9/5/2007 11:26:19 AM

Actually, "laser" stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Basically, it is coherent light (exactly one wavelength) as opposed to most things which emit a range of wavelengths.

There are several different "colors" of laser which basically just means they are emitting different wavelengths of light. So, if you can create coherent light on different wavelengths, you should be able to create coherent electromagnetic emissions on just about any wavelength.

Why not an x-ray laser? Or an infrared laser? Or any laser which used light beyond the visible spectrum. Then there wouldn't be a visual trail for the human eye to track back to the user. Also, if you picked a wavelength that doesn't get absorbed by the atmosphere you wouldn't have any vapor trail and the ray gun would be more efficient.

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Ehran 9/5/2007 12:09:13 PM

it's all about energy density for lasers and that means the shorter the wavelength the better. the major problem right now with laser rifles is trying to figure out how to feed them the power they need. battery tech just isn't up to that level yet and doesn't look likely to get there any time soon. someone pops out that room temp superconductor though and laser rifles are just around the corner.

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flamingknives 9/5/2007 1:10:41 PM

Mr. flamingpicky would like to point out that laser is LIGHT amplification etc. If you use non-visible parts of the EM spectrum, it isn't really a Laser but a "something else"aser.

Hence Maser for microwave frequencies.

But Laser is probably good for the layperson.

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TrustButVerify 9/5/2007 2:58:38 PM

I've often wondered why masers don't get more play. My engineering knowledge is insufficient to the task of nitpicking their practical applications. It seems, for instance, that a maser set to the "water frequency" would make a snappy antipersonnel weapon. (I think Hardwired featured such equipment.) There would seem to be communications applications as well, but to hell with that stuff- it's the idea of masers carving big, bubbly chunks of flesh out of an advancing infantry company that excites me.

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flamingknives 9/5/2007 3:14:35 PM

If you can pump enough power into a maser to damage people, you can pump it into a laser. The optics of light are, I think, better understood and easier to deal with than those of microwaves, so it is easier to focus a spot.

The US do have a microwave weapon - it looks like a radar dish on top of a Humvee - I think its called Sheriff

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WarNerd Masers 9/6/2007 4:10:02 AM

It seems, for instance, that a maser set to the "water frequency" would make a snappy antipersonnel weapon.

So you want a long range microwave oven.

Been tried. The biggest problem is that the water vapor in the air dissipates the beam to quickly, limiting range.

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WarNerd Masers 9/6/2007 4:24:03 AM

Heat dissipation is an even bigger problem than the power supply for a weapon grade laser. With maximum conversion efficiencies in the low teens (I think they have gotten that far ...) you have to dissipate 6 to 10 watts for every one you put into the target.

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Shooter2K Lasers as weapons are more than a little ??? 10/15/2007 2:10:25 PM

I was going to say silly, but it is to serrious a subject to blow off.

1. First lasers do not work well in any atmosphere! As soon as the energy dencity is high enough to damage a target, it is all ready to high to penitrait the air!

The ten ionised air becomes opaque to the laser radiation and it is then short circuted far short of the target, or just feet from the muzzel IF the energy is high enough.

2. To get around #1 above, they use very large aperatures or openings for the beam to leave. Then the focus the beam at the target, where movement of the target continiously puts new/fresh air into the beam, before it can be ionised! This last is important as a slow moving target like a tank would be imune to laser fire.

3. There are several ways to get around the energy requirements and storage issues! A mono-propellant fuel like hydrozine could burn and the exhaust spin a miniature turbine to generate electricity and then be combined with a second chemical to form a "Gas Dymanic Laser" Very powerfull and compact and the firing time would only be limmeted by the soldiers ability to cary reactants.

4. Counter measures are very easy if the target is not restricted by weight issues. IE things like nomex felt, phenolic plastics and all of the carbon, glass or fiber re-enforced plastics all ablate and char instead of burn or vaporise and thus a shirt as thin as an ordinary "T" shirt would be proof for long enough to get under cover and return fire for any Laser weapon that it would be practicle to cary.

5. Given all of the above, some sort of projectile weapon would seem to be so much better and very much less expencive to boot!

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Asymmetric 10/16/2007 10:46:06 AM

I?ve been looking at these forums for ages and never once stumbled into the sci-fi section boy have I have been missing out.

Why use lasers?

Assuming supplies energy dense enough and laser tubes efficient enough to make it feasible:

Plus:

No ballistic curve to compensate for, so easy aiming.

No recoil.

Few to no moving parts.

No need for separate ammunition for different 'calibres' since that is a function of the tube.

Ammunition can be used to power other functions (sights, lights, designators) or other items, like vehicles, further reducing logistics requirements.

Minus:

Sensitive to dirt on the focus/output lens.

Relatively high tech base needed to produce and supply.

No internal moving parts for soldiers to clean and maintain.

Obvious visual trace in the dark or 'dirty' atmospheres.

There is an additional advantage's to using a laser over a kinetic energy weapon. High intensity plasma windows... would vaporise any conceivable conventional KE round, where as a photon based weapon will be unaffected, unless the KE round was formed from degenerate matter... (or something even crasier, like a singularity) which does not lose structural integrity regardless of temperature.

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