FW: Combustion chamber heat

[Mark Pitts]

Interesting Idea:

I'm not trying to be negative but:
First off, we have two basic types of laser: Gas and Xtal.

Each has its own problem, both are fragile.

Gas laser, hideously inefficient, and bulky, (and most need liquid =
cooling of the gas!) but cheapish.
Problem : very difficult to control pulse time, as it takes a little =
while for the plasma to settle, and start lasing(?) . So unless you =
could find some sort of shutter (Q switch? Anybody help me here?) it is =
going to be very difficult to fire.


Xtal laser. Take a ruby rod, rap a xenon flash tube round it, and fire =
the xenon. Result:population inversion in the xtal, followed by the =
droping of electrons in orbits to produce photons.... great. The last =
one I played with (that would produce a spark in the air, by pure =
ionization at the focal point) needed a PSU the size of a filing =
cabinet, but it could be fired accurately enough to balance a spinning =
gyro.  Trouble is, even this bugger needed an 8" long by 1" diameter =
ruby rod to do its stuff, and controlling the gas discharge in the xenon =
tube isn't so different to controlling a spark in the first place.

Some sort of microwave system, possibly a MASER... dont know too much =
about 'em, might be of more use, owing to the much greater efficiency of =
the things, might be of some use, if you can build a 'bomb proof' wave =
guide into the plug hole.=20

----------
Robert Harris wrote:
>=20
> I picture something like a quartz window screwed in where the plug
> now goes, a large, flexible fiber optic light pipe going from the plug
> to the laser and a high speed high power laser for each cylinder being
> fired by control electronics.  I'd pick its light frequency to be
> harmonically
> related to either the hydrogen or carbon atoms resonance to get
> maximum energy transfer.  What would be nicer would be to steal some
> star wars weapons stuff.  Don't matter what the source or type of =
energy
> beam - heck I'd even use a phasor beam (if it was remotely connected =
to
> reality) - just as long as I could fire the whole chamber almost
> simultaneously.
>=20