fredymac said:I have more than a little skepticism whether this idea could work. They are trying to heat a patch of air with a precise lateral gradient profile in order to change the index of refraction and bend the light in a controlled manner. Time constants for transverse mixing and the long focal cone of the light from the source to the plane of the lens would make it difficult to constrain the heating at a specific range. I wonder if the marketing folks got ahead of the R&D department. I haven't heard of anyone demonstrating this concept in a lab test.
antigravite said:fredymac said:I have more than a little skepticism whether this idea could work. They are trying to heat a patch of air with a precise lateral gradient profile in order to change the index of refraction and bend the light in a controlled manner. Time constants for transverse mixing and the long focal cone of the light from the source to the plane of the lens would make it difficult to constrain the heating at a specific range. I wonder if the marketing folks got ahead of the R&D department. I haven't heard of anyone demonstrating this concept in a lab test.
Soviet researchers & engineers went pretty far in testing related "plasma weapons" technologies in the 1980s at TsNPO Vympel (ex OKB-30, later renamed MRTI) using MW technology, under Academician Rimili Avramenko. Vympel collaborated a lot with Strella (Almaz Research and Production Association) on what appeared to be the Soviet response to SDI, the so-called "Fon-2" program. This is history but still bears a lot of interest in the present context. Plasma weapons. Plasmoids. AIMs (Artificial Ionospheric Mirrors)… Combined discharges…
A.
Lots of interesting stuff in there:sferrin said:antigravite said:fredymac said:I have more than a little skepticism whether this idea could work. They are trying to heat a patch of air with a precise lateral gradient profile in order to change the index of refraction and bend the light in a controlled manner. Time constants for transverse mixing and the long focal cone of the light from the source to the plane of the lens would make it difficult to constrain the heating at a specific range. I wonder if the marketing folks got ahead of the R&D department. I haven't heard of anyone demonstrating this concept in a lab test.
Soviet researchers & engineers went pretty far in testing related "plasma weapons" technologies in the 1980s at TsNPO Vympel (ex OKB-30, later renamed MRTI) using MW technology, under Academician Rimili Avramenko. Vympel collaborated a lot with Strella (Almaz Research and Production Association) on what appeared to be the Soviet response to SDI, the so-called "Fon-2" program. This is history but still bears a lot of interest in the present context. Plasma weapons. Plasmoids. AIMs (Artificial Ionospheric Mirrors)… Combined discharges…
A.
I have a book I haven't seen in ages called "Beam Weapons". I think it was put out by the Dept of Energy back in the 80s. Talked about plasmoids, generating huge power spikes with nuclear weapons, etc.
Thank you.fightingirish said:Official Link:
http://www.baesystems.com/en/article/directed-energy-atmospheric-lens-could-revolutionise-future-battlefields