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PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
primitive. At the atomic level, scientists have been able to create atomic
devices that are quite ingenious, but impractical, such as an atomic
abacus and an atomic guitar. But it is conceivable that late in this century or the next, nanotechnology may be able to give us miniature batteries that can store such fabulous amounts of energy.
Light sabers suffer from a similar problem. When the movie Star
Wars first came out in the 1970s and light sabers became a best-selling
toy among children, many critics pointed out that such a device could
never be made. First, it is impossible to solidify light. Light always travels at the speed of light; it cannot be made solid. Second, light beams
do not terminate in midair as do the light sabers used in Star Wars.
Light beams keep on going forever; a real light saber would stretch
into the sky.
Actually there is a way to construct a kind of light saber using plasmas,
or superhot ionized gas. Plasmas can be made hot enough to glow
in the dark and also slice through steel. A plasma light saber would
consist of a thin, hollow rod that slides out of the handle, like a telescope. Inside this tube hot plasmas would be released that would then
escape through small holes placed regularly along the rod. As the
plasma flowed out of the handle, up the rod, and through the holes, it
would create a long, glowing tube of superhot gas, sufficient to melt
steel. This device is sometimes referred to as a plasma torch.
So it is possible to create a high-energy device that resembles a
light saber. But as with ray guns, you would have to create a highenergy portable power pack. Either you would need long cables connecting the light saber to a power supply, or you would have to create,
via nanotechnology, a tiny power supply that could deliver huge
amounts of power.
So while ray guns and light sabers are possible to create in some
form today, the handheld weapons found in science fiction movies are
beyond current technology. But late in this century or the next, with
new advances in material science and also nanotechnology, a form of
ray gun might be developed, making it a Class I impossibility.
PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE
primitive. At the atomic level, scientists have been able to create atomic
devices that are quite ingenious, but impractical, such as an atomic
abacus and an atomic guitar. But it is conceivable that late in this century or the next, nanotechnology may be able to give us miniature batteries that can store such fabulous amounts of energy.
Light sabers suffer from a similar problem. When the movie Star
Wars first came out in the 1970s and light sabers became a best-selling
toy among children, many critics pointed out that such a device could
never be made. First, it is impossible to solidify light. Light always travels at the speed of light; it cannot be made solid. Second, light beams
do not terminate in midair as do the light sabers used in Star Wars.
Light beams keep on going forever; a real light saber would stretch
into the sky.
Actually there is a way to construct a kind of light saber using plasmas,
or superhot ionized gas. Plasmas can be made hot enough to glow
in the dark and also slice through steel. A plasma light saber would
consist of a thin, hollow rod that slides out of the handle, like a telescope. Inside this tube hot plasmas would be released that would then
escape through small holes placed regularly along the rod. As the
plasma flowed out of the handle, up the rod, and through the holes, it
would create a long, glowing tube of superhot gas, sufficient to melt
steel. This device is sometimes referred to as a plasma torch.
So it is possible to create a high-energy device that resembles a
light saber. But as with ray guns, you would have to create a highenergy portable power pack. Either you would need long cables connecting the light saber to a power supply, or you would have to create,
via nanotechnology, a tiny power supply that could deliver huge
amounts of power.
So while ray guns and light sabers are possible to create in some
form today, the handheld weapons found in science fiction movies are
beyond current technology. But late in this century or the next, with
new advances in material science and also nanotechnology, a form of
ray gun might be developed, making it a Class I impossibility.