06-12-2019, 11:32 AM | #31 | |
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Berkeley, CA
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
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It's hard to see how you'd get it to fire properly, but likely nothing of interest unless you use something powerful enough that it will be quite hazardous for you. The weapon already has to deal with fairly large variations due to different environments, so it should be pretty surge tolerant. Last edited by Anthony; 06-12-2019 at 11:37 AM. |
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06-12-2019, 08:23 PM | #32 |
Join Date: May 2009
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
"Someone who calls themselves doctor evilbrain"? Oh, please. Do you actually think I'm a doctor, or evil? I'm not a doctor and I don't play one on tv. Only Americans will get that reference. Could an Electrolaser be used as a burgler's tool? What about the flashlight that could start fires?
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06-12-2019, 08:43 PM | #33 | |
Join Date: Jul 2008
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
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An extremely bright light source and something that may set the area on fire are both things that a burglar generally does not want.
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06-12-2019, 09:20 PM | #34 | ||
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: The plutonium rich regions of Washington State
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
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Luke |
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06-12-2019, 09:34 PM | #35 |
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
What about having a dazzler carbine with an underbarrel electrolaser? You could temporarily blind a target at a distance or shock them to submission when they are close.
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06-12-2019, 09:37 PM | #36 | |
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: The plutonium rich regions of Washington State
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
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On the other hand, in many conductors you do have an instability where any slight increase in current in one area increases the temperature a bit through Ohmic heating, which raises the conductivity, which increases the current further, which increases the temperature, and so forth. This is a well-known cause of breakdown in semiconductors (but not metals, where increased temperature decreases the conductivity). In an ideal gas, the mobility of particles decreases with temperature https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electr...y_in_gas_phase so instead of an instability tending to concentrate the current into thin channels (like in semiconductors) you get a stable system that will tend to distribute the current evenly across the beam (like in metals) - if the current gets a bit higher in one place, the temperature increases, the conductivity drops in that area and the current decreases again. (When I started typing this out, I expected the instability to go the other way, until I looked up the actual relation). So it looks like lightning-like channels within the beam are not likely. Luke |
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06-12-2019, 09:44 PM | #37 | |
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: The plutonium rich regions of Washington State
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
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Water mist sprayers would shorten the range somewhat (water increases the ion recombination rate in the laser channels, making it harder for the electricity to go as far), but since the mist is probably only in your immediate vicinity this will not have all that much of an effect. Instead, it might make your skin wet, which decreases the electrical resistance of your skin and makes you more susceptible to the shock. So probably not a good idea. I'm not sure if an ionized mist sprayer could deliver a high enough charge carrier density to adequately short out the beam. And, as Anthony mentioned, if you can't be stunned you might just end up being shot, so it could introduce additional dangers. Luke |
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06-12-2019, 09:51 PM | #38 | |
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: The plutonium rich regions of Washington State
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
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Luke |
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06-12-2019, 10:14 PM | #39 | |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
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Ahh.. but that would be in parallel to the stun charge, whereas surge protectors and such are in series in the circuit.
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06-13-2019, 05:40 PM | #40 |
Join Date: May 2009
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Re: (Ultra Tech) How realistic are Electrolasers?
A burgler's tool for melting locks.
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