Is it possible to make a laser powerful enough to burn a hole in a mirror?
Chat Forum
[closed]
Physics: Mirrors and lasers.
-
Posted 1 year ago #
-
Hell yes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
yeah, easily
Posted 1 year ago # -
Possibly.
If the light had a powerful enough electric field it might turn the glass into a plasma, which would then dissipate hence 'burning a hole' in the glass.
Plus, in any case the reflective bit of a mirror is a thin sheet of metal at the back, and you can definitely burn a hole in metal with a laser.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Fair enough. So, could you uprate the mirror to resist these higher power lasers? surely if they reflect all of the light then they would not burn?
As you can probably tell, I am not a physicist!
Posted 1 year ago # -
wavelengths.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Are you designing a defence system against future laser-weapons?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I was actually considering the prospect of a Star Destroyer taking on the Enterprise...
Posted 1 year ago # -
No possibly about it, its something we do frequently. It does depend on the type of mirror, in your bog standard mirror the silver backing will vaporise long before the glass melts. Theres a lot of other variables though, wavelength, power densities, mode and even the modal distribution will effect what happen to the mirror.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Well.. if you could make a perfect mirror then no... as it would reflect all of the energy, and not absorb any.
I suspect that making a perfect mirror might be a bit tricky though!!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Can't you make a near perfect mirror with prisms or something rather than a reflective material
Posted 1 year ago # -
They are using lasers to generate cold fusion. So absolutely yes.
Posted 1 year ago # -
unlikely to be able to uprate the mirror ( as you put it ). at high power, any loss induced in reflecting/reflecting the light would create a warming effect. also any contaminants in the path would do the same, creating localized heating, and it all goes downhill Very quickly from there.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Can you not get the mirror to reflect Jessica Alba... therefore making it perfect?!
Posted 1 year ago # -
See what I said Torm. Any material can be turned into a plasma.
An atom has a positive nucleus and negative electrons. When you apply an electric field, the electrons get pulled one way and the nucleus the other. If you apply a strong enough field the electrons and nuclei part company, so you have a soup of electrons and nuclei. This soup doesn't have any atomic bonds any more so ends up like a gas.
Light is an electric field and a magnetic field in lots of random chunks in all directions. In a laser, all the chunks are aligned so the electric field can be really strong. The more powerful the laser the stronger the electric field.
If you zap things with lightening, the electric field is very strong indeed and things tend to vapourise. Likewise with a welder.
(note the above may be b*lx, it's been a long time!)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Mmm... Jessica Alba....
What was the question again?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Clong,
where do you work?Posted 1 year ago # -
The "perfect" mirror kind of exits. In a traditional ruby laser, a 100% is at one and a 99.9% is at the other, which is how the laser "lases". But its wavelength specific.
Del: I work in the big bad oil industry, i design/build lasers to monitor oil flow using fibre optic.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Cool job!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Lasers and Oil - Do you think they would let me play?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Torminalis - Member
I was actually considering the prospect of a Star Destroyer taking on the Enterprise...
Posted 1 year ago # -
Frickin' lasers
Posted 1 year ago # -
How about if the mirror is underwater?
I'm just wondering about how to protect myself from Sharks with frickin lasers.Posted 1 year ago # -
Bollocks!
Posted 1 year ago # -
Torminalis - Member
I was actually considering the prospect of a Star Destroyer taking on the Enterprise...
Ah but which Enterprise .... after all there have bee more than a few
Enterprise NX-01, 22nd century,
USS Enterprise NCC-1701, Constitution class, 23rd century
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-A, Constitution class, 23rd century,
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-B, Excelsior class, late 23rd century,
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-C, Ambassador class, 24th century
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D, Galaxy class, 24th century,
USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, Sovereign class, 24th centuryplus reference to others in asssorted timelines ......
</geek mode >
Posted 1 year ago # -
What if the lasers were mounted on a plane on a conveyor belt/
would the backwards thrust of the lasers stop it taking off or would the reflected laser just kill the pilot?
Posted 1 year ago # -
Don't be such a stupid idiot.
Posted 1 year ago # -
What if the lasers were mounted on a plane on a conveyor belt/
would the backwards thrust of the lasers stop it taking off or would the reflected laser just kill the pilot?
Deary, deary me...Posted 1 year ago # -
Interestingly * using radiation pressure from light to generate thrust is (a) entirely feasible whilst also being (b) the least efficient possible use of energy to do so.
* This may be a matter of opinion
Posted 1 year ago # -
Torminalis - Member
I was actually considering the prospect of a Star Destroyer taking on the Enterprise...for this reason, i'm reconsidering inviting you to my sexy party.
Posted 1 year ago # -
See what I said Torm. Any material can be turned into a plasma.
An atom has a positive nucleus and negative electrons. When you apply an electric field, the electrons get pulled one way and the nucleus the other. If you apply a strong enough field the electrons and nuclei part company, so you have a soup of electrons and nuclei. This soup doesn't have any atomic bonds any more so ends up like a gas.
Light is an electric field and a magnetic field in lots of random chunks in all directions. In a laser, all the chunks are aligned so the electric field can be really strong. The more powerful the laser the stronger the electric field.
If you zap things with lightening, the electric field is very strong indeed and things tend to vapourise. Likewise with a welder.
(note the above may be b*lx, it's been a long time!)
Molgrips is secretly a nobel prize winning physycist.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
Not..Posted 1 year ago # -
a nobel prize winning physycist.
Doh physicist.
And toys is a champion speller
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
NotPosted 1 year ago # -
for a good mirror you need a Bragg stack.
very wavelength specific but can get 99.9999% reflective - it's how VCSELs work (a type of semiconductor laser).Posted 1 year ago # -
my nob is very shiny; but i don't think i want anyone to point a lazer at it?
Posted 1 year ago # -
I was actually considering the prospect of a Star Destroyer taking on the Enterprise...
The enterprise latest class is much much faster so could always run away. It is massively outgunned though A star destroyer crew is 30,000 + so it is a no brainer IMHO. The enterprise might win by cunning and repolarising something with an inverse tachion[spell?] beam if the engines could only take it though.
The actual physics PHHHT neither know nor carePosted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
This topic has been closed to new replies.
