Scientists build the world's first anti-laser

BBC ^ | February 17, 2011 | Unknown

[decimon]

Physicists have built the world's first device that can cancel out a laser beam - a so-called anti-laser.

The device, created by a team from Yale University, is capable of absorbing an incoming laser beam entirely.

But this is not intended as a defence against high-power laser weapons, the researchers said.

Instead they think it could be used in next-generation supercomputers which will be built with components that use light rather than electrons.

Professor Douglas Stone and colleagues at Yale University had initially been developing a theory to explain which materials could be used as the basis of lasers.

[Lysandru]

Paging Dr. Evil, Paging Dr. Evil...

[CodeToad]

"But this is not intended as a defence against high-power laser weapons, the researchers said."

Of course not. it was for....uh....for...um....wait...(psst, what's it for again?)

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Captain Kirk: “Shields up, Mr. Sulu!”

[RexBeach]

Yes, but can it defeat the dreaded Turkish tennis ball machine gun?

How that? Huh, huh, huh?

[Hodar]

"Well, .... crap ...."

[WayneS]

... this is not intended as a defence against high-power laser weapons, the researchers said.

No, but I bet it could be made to work against laser speed detection equipment.

[Vroomfondel]

Can a flashdark be far behind?

[bunkerhill7]

duuhh -all you need is a cat`s eye or a mirror to deflect it

[Alex Murphy]

Physicists have built the world's first device that can cancel out a laser beam - a so-called anti-laser. The device, created by a team from Yale University, is capable of absorbing an incoming laser beam entirely.

Big deal! Japan's had one since 1989....

[Rio]

Their device focuses two lasers beams of a specific frequency into a specially designed optical cavity made from silicon, which traps the incoming beams of light and forces them to bounce around until all their energy is dissipated.

That's called a "light trap" and is really nothing new in my experience.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks decimon. Lasers are coherent light, I wonder if anti-lasers are incoherent light?

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[skinkinthegrass]

Thunderbird number *what?*

[skinkinthegrass]

sorry..or which, Godzilla movie?

[decimon]

...incoherent light...

That could describe some of the more insistent replies I've gotten lately.

[Eye of Unk]

So scientists found a new use for the 70’s disco balls?

[bigheadfred]

...incoherent light...

That could describe some of the more insistent replies I've gotten lately.

Ya'll talk about me but you dinna ping me.

Avast, mateys...

[SeeSac]

That's called a "light trap" and is really nothing new in my experience.

You obviously did not read the article. Or you did not understand the article because it was too technical ...

[decimon]

Ya'll talk about me but you dinna ping me.

Call you anything but ping you for dinna? ;-)

[bigheadfred]

Absotively.

Posilutely.