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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: perihelion on May 05, 2010, 01:15:49 pm

Title: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: perihelion on May 05, 2010, 01:15:49 pm: First X-ray laser's early success brings approval for next-phase facility (http://www.physorg.com/news192282376.html)
Can you say, "AWESOME!!!" :eek:
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: watsisname on May 05, 2010, 01:34:58 pm: Quote
The laser's ultra-fast, ultra-bright X-rays give scientists the ability to visualize matter on the atomic scale, where the action is measured in quadrillionths of a second.
That's friggin' impressive.
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: SpardaSon21 on May 05, 2010, 01:46:42 pm: How soon until we can blow stuff up with it?
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: Liberator on May 05, 2010, 01:57:58 pm: whur's muh beamz!
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: Nuclear1 on May 05, 2010, 02:03:22 pm: IMMA FIRING MAH LAZER photoshops in 3..2...
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: FreeSpaceFreak on May 05, 2010, 02:42:43 pm: According to the Subach HL-7 tech description, it's called a "xaser". Sounds good. X-ray Amplification through Stimulated Emission of Radiation :D
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: perihelion on May 05, 2010, 02:45:17 pm: Uhh. All respect to :v:, but they hardly coined the idea for an x-ray laser. I'm pretty sure the idea even predates Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, who more or less made the idea fameous in the 1960's and 70's in Niven's "Known Space" universe and a few of their collaborations.
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: Nuke on May 05, 2010, 04:59:12 pm: havent xasers been around for awhile?
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: karajorma on May 05, 2010, 05:57:10 pm: Yes. But America's SDI program used nuke detonations to generate the beam. Maybe this is the first permanent version.
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: Kosh on May 05, 2010, 11:37:50 pm: I dont think SDI ever got them to work properly, which would explain why that approach was abandoned.
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: karajorma on May 06, 2010, 01:00:48 am: IIRC they worked. They just weren't very powerful.
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: Aardwolf on May 06, 2010, 01:14:04 am: Quote from: karajorma on May 05, 2010, 05:57:10 pm
But America's SDI program used nuke detonations to generate the beam.

Eh? I don't think we ever had laserhead / Yamato cannon tech... yet.
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: karajorma on May 06, 2010, 01:25:40 am: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_Defense_Initiative#X-ray_laser
Title: Re: X-ray laser (not science fiction)
Post by: watsisname on May 06, 2010, 02:06:20 am: IIRC we indeed have had xasers for a while, but the difference was that formerly they were soft xrays, while these are hard (ie, shorter wavelength). I think an example was the inertial-confinement fusion reactors where they fired beams of xrays at a pellet of deuterium to trigger fusion -- need to double check that though to be sure.

inb4 jokes about hard things