The high-power laser is ten times more powerful than any laser-based devices currently sold on the market.
(Mirror Daily – United States) – If you’re a die-hard fan of science-fiction movies that involves plenty of lasers, then you will be absolutely thrilled to find out that a joint team of scientists from the Czech Republic and Great Britain has created the world’s most powerful laser.
Right now, re-creating the Deathstar’s powerful laser beam doesn’t seem so farfetched as it did ten years ago, thanks to a team of scientists who created the most powerful laser in the world. The device is called the High Peak Power Laser or Bivoj, after the mythological Czech hero.
According to the scientists who participated in this project, the Bivoj’s assembly weighs approximately 44,000 pounds (22 tons) and has an output of 1,000 watts. This may not sound as much, but keep in mind that a laser used to light a match has an output of 300 milliwatts, while common pointers, those annoying devices used during a presentation have an output of only five milliwatts.
Basically, the High Peak Laser is ten times more powerful than any laser-based devices currently available on the market and even more efficient that those designed by the United States and Japan.
While Austin’s Petawatt Laser and Japan’s Two-petawatt Laser for Fast Ignition Experiments have a higher energy output than the one designed by a British and Czech scientist, they can only be fired a couple of times before it needs to be recharged. Moreover, it seems that it takes them a while in order to get the juices flowing again.
By comparison, Bivoj can be fired time and time again and does not a have a long recharge time. Even though the device can surely be used as part of a military installation, the scientists involved in its creation have other things in mind.
One of the researchers declared that the High Peak Laser would be an invaluable asset in the production of semi-conductors or metallurgy, here it can be used to increase metal resistance. However, the device is still in the experimental phase, which means it is far from being ready to hit the market.
The scientists involved in the experiment said that when the device is ready for use, it will probably cost around $55 million and will require a substantial power source in order to be used.
By the looks of it, it would seem that we won’t have to wait that long in order to see a living, breathing Deathstar.
Image source: Flickr