Japan fires death star

[Vistulange]

Because we humans have shown incredible capacity to use such things for peaceful uses first.

Nope, we definitely have to blow up a few things and perhaps cause horrible accidents before we learn our lesson.

You're a cynic too.

I like you.

I don't think I am a cynic. When we first harnessed nuclear energy, we did not use it to power our cities, we instead bombed two cities. Sure, it was war back then, but it does say a lot about us.

[Nilla Wayfarers]

If it is as powerful as 1000x the world's energy consumption, where tf does it get all that energy?

[Risottia]

If it is as powerful as 1000x the world's energy consumption, where tf does it get all that energy?

Because you can't compare power and energy. It's like comparing mass and area.

[Vistulange]

If it is as powerful as 1000x the world's energy consumption, where tf does it get all that energy?

It's not "1000x the world's energy consumption", it's 1000 times the world's electricity consumption. Energy is required to produce electricity, but they are by far not the same things.

[Nilla Wayfarers]

If it is as powerful as 1000x the world's energy consumption, where tf does it get all that energy?

Because you can't compare power and energy. It's like comparing mass and area.

Umm... not really.

Maybe more like comparing mass and weight, but even that's a stretch. And that doesn't answer the question: where does it get all that energy?

[Outer Sparta]

Reminiscing Star Wars, aren't we?

Just a question, how much is the world's energy consumption worth?

[Imperializt Russia]

This sounds like Reagan's star wars finally came true, and if so can we use it to get rid of Putin?

Actually no. Don't mistake power for energy: with the energy delivered by that laser, you would have problems lighting a match.

Two thousand joules isn't exactly insignificant. It's the ME of some loads of 5.56

[United Ameritania]

Reminiscing Star Wars, aren't we?

Just a question, how much is the world's energy consumption worth?

At least 2/3 of a Death Star ?..

[Charlia]

I think it's hardly surprising Japan would come up with this. I'm happy for them, I think this is really something to be proud of and I'm impressed.

[Outer Sparta]

Reminiscing Star Wars, aren't we?

Just a question, how much is the world's energy consumption worth?

At least 2/3 of a Death Star ?..

I mean in watts or a similar unit.

[Vistulange]

Reminiscing Star Wars, aren't we?

Just a question, how much is the world's energy consumption worth?

According to Wikipedia...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption

We consume about 104,426 TW/h.

[Nilla Wayfarers]

If it is as powerful as 1000x the world's energy consumption, where tf does it get all that energy?

It's not "1000x the world's energy consumption", it's 1000 times the world's electricity consumption. Energy is required to produce electricity, but they are by far not the same things.

Sorry, I misread that.

[Imperializt Russia]

Because you can't compare power and energy. It's like comparing mass and area.

Umm... not really.

Maybe more like comparing mass and weight, but even that's a stretch. And that doesn't answer the question: where does it get all that energy?

Power is a rate of energy transfer, you can't compare.

If the world's annual energy use was consumed in one second, that would then be a rate, and this beam would be 1000 times as powerful as this useless hypothetical.
"If this beam ran for nine hours (approx one thousandth of one year), it would be equivalent to a year of the earth's energy consumption" would be more correct.

[Imperializt Russia]

At least 2/3 of a Death Star ?..

I mean in watts or a similar unit.

Five wikipedias, where one wikipedia is equal to 12 seconds of searching wikipedia.

[Nilla Wayfarers]

Umm... not really.

Maybe more like comparing mass and weight, but even that's a stretch. And that doesn't answer the question: where does it get all that energy?

Power is a rate of energy transfer, you can't compare.

If the world's annual energy use was consumed in one second, that would then be a rate, and this beam would be 1000 times as powerful as this useless hypothetical.
"If this beam ran for nine hours (approx one thousandth of one year), it would be equivalent to a year of the earth's energy consumption" would be more correct.

Thank you.

[Napkiraly]

Okay not really a death star, but anything this thing is pointed at would most definitely have a very bad day.

Japan claims to have fired the most powerful laser ever created.
Researchers in Osaka were able to produce a 2-petawatt laser beam using a device known as the Laser for Fast Ignition Experiment (LFEX).
The power of the 'Death Star'-like beam is equivalent to 1,000 times the world's total electricity consumption, the scientists claim.

Scientists wouldn't claim that you can compare power to energy.

Nice, though - although I still think that our best shot at fusion power is the ITER tokamak.

Up until today's announcement, the world has only ever witnessed a 1-pettawatt laser created by the University of Texas, Austin.

ELI is coming.
http://www.eli-laser.eu/
The ELI facilities near Prague are aiming for 10²³ W/cm². Friend of mine works there. High energy physics and Czech beer... they do mix and they mix well!

Man being a physicist must fucking rock.

[Imperializt Russia]

Scientists wouldn't claim that you can compare power to energy.

Nice, though - although I still think that our best shot at fusion power is the ITER tokamak.


ELI is coming.
http://www.eli-laser.eu/
The ELI facilities near Prague are aiming for 10²³ W/cm². Friend of mine works there. High energy physics and Czech beer... they do mix and they mix well!

Man being a physicist must fucking rock.

You should see the dissertation projects we have to do at university for our degrees.

One or maybe four are fucking boss.
The rest are soul-crushing.

We make up for it by blowing shit up and drinking great European beer.

[Cenetra]

Actually no. Don't mistake power for energy: with the energy delivered by that laser, you would have problems lighting a match.

Two thousand joules isn't exactly insignificant. It's the ME of some loads of 5.56

Or the energy of a 2 ton car travelling at 3 mph (walking speed). Or several times less than the energy your body uses in the time it takes you to read this thread. Or the gravitational potential energy of the average adult standing on top of a 12 foot ladder. Or the chemical energy stored in a few drops (0.06 milliliters) of gasoline. Or about half the amount of heat required to melt a typical ice cube.

[Gauthier]

They *do* need something to arm their giant robots after all.

[Gristol-Serkonos]

Where are my gundams, Japan?

Do that first, then maybe I'll pay attention to your lasers.

[Nelson R Mandela]

This is pretty badass.

[Napkiraly]

Man being a physicist must fucking rock.

You should see the dissertation projects we have to do at university for our degrees.

One or maybe four are fucking boss.
The rest are soul-crushing.

We make up for it by blowing shit up and drinking great European beer.

Personally I'm looking forward to it. Blowing stuff up? Check. Euro Beer? Check. Happy Napki inbound!

[The Sotoan Union]

If this can be harnessed for hours, we can power the world.

I don't get it. Why does harnessing the laser produce energy? Shouldn't it take just as much energy to create the laser?


It isn't this is it?

[Godular]

If it is as powerful as 1000x the world's energy consumption, where tf does it get all that energy?

Power is energy divided by time. It is possible to have a laser that deals a massive amount of power by having making a laser pulse last a very small fraction of a second. It says in the article it only used the electricity needed to power a microwave, but that the pulse was about a picosecond in length, which is about one billionth of a second.

The picosecond pulse isn't really anything spectacular, we have lasers that can fit on a table capable of laser pulses in the 30 femtosecond range. The suspicion here is that the mechanism they use to achieve such a short pulse has something resembling an upper limit on its energy requirement (too high and the switching process overloads), and so the real achievement here is to get the laser to work with a much higher energy per pulse which would require some impressive control systems.

I'm surprised I remember that damn femtosecond laser term paper I had to do... holy shit that was seven years ago.

Edit: Upon reading the article again, it looks like they had a normal picosecond laser and used some weird system of amplifying lamps to boost the laser's energy... not sure how that'd work, really... but it'd get around the upper limit on the switching mechanism. Think of it like souping up the engine of a car that you just bought off the lot and then crashing it into a wall. Same deal, really.

[Imperializt Russia]

Two thousand joules isn't exactly insignificant. It's the ME of some loads of 5.56

Or the energy of a 2 ton car travelling at 3 mph (walking speed). Or several times less than the energy your body uses in the time it takes you to read this thread. Or the gravitational potential energy of the average adult standing on top of a 12 foot ladder. Or the chemical energy stored in a few drops (0.06 milliliters) of gasoline. Or about half the amount of heat required to melt a typical ice cube.

That potential energy from a twelve foot ladder is enough to snap your ankle.
Gasoline is an explosive.
A car weighs two tonnes.

And of course, it will propel a four-gram slug of steel into your body where its sheer velocity will cause it to shatter, and in all probability kill you quite efficiently.