High efficiency flat light source could be the end for the light bulb

Gizmag ^ | 4/19/2006 | Staff

[joe fonebone]

WOW!!!!!!

[orionblamblam]

> 100 percent efficiency

Errrrrr.....

[Professional Engineer]

According to Forrest, the device eventually could achieve three times the efficiency of standard incandescent light bulbs.

Oooo, all the way up to match fluorescent.

[talleyman]

I blame Bush...

[null and void]

"This process will enable us to get 100 percent efficiency out of a single, broad spectrum light source," Thompson said.

Uh huh...

[lepton]

"This process will enable us to get 100 percent efficiency out of a single, broad spectrum light source,"

[...]

According to Forrest, the device eventually could achieve three times the efficiency of standard incandescent light bulbs.

There's a pretty big gap between those two statements. Further, they aren't even talking about a broad spectrum source, but rather a multi-frequency source that matches up to our optical pigments (though assuming no hidden side-effects, that's better for common usage).

[Final Authority]

There are actually hermetic plastics but they wouldn't be transparent and they aren't all plastic. For example, metalized Mylar or a form of polyethylene is hermetic. It is used extensively in snack food packaging. Other plastics can be metalized as well. There are coatings so very thin that pass some wavelengths of light and appear transparent (sunglass mirrors). I don't think it is a stopper from what I know of the problem.

[Publius6961]

Errrrrr.....

yeah yeah...
Picky picky picky...

[jiggyboy]

It might be better than fluorescent if it's flat instead of curved or bulbous or whatever. A not-insignificant portion of the light coming out of the standard bulb is going back into the fixture. In fluorescents, you undoubtedly lose some of that light that comes out of one side of the curly-cue and goes across the middle to the other side. I wonder if that's already part of their calculations -- "loss due to geometrically-related absorption and diffusion" or somesuch.

[Fred911]

ping

[50sDad]

100 percent efficiency

The only real problem is the massive amount of neutrinos generated as the entire light fixture turns into pure radiant energy, but they plan to fix that too, as soon as they scrape the outlines of the R&D researchers off the wall of the test lab...

[Protagoras]

There has always been cool new stuff. This might be more of it.

[reagandemo]

100 percent efficiency and only 3 times a efficient as an incandescent light bulb. Yeah right it's not adding up. It should be way more efficient than that given the heat the incandescent light bulb makes.

[50sDad]

There is a product called LightStrip that is used in spacecraft modeling...ever make one of those Starship Enterprise models, and you couldn't get an even glow across the nacelles? Lightstrip is a phosphor-covered plastic sheet with electrodes at each end; you have a transformer that takes your 5VDC up to thousands of volts at VERY low amperage, and the entire sheet glows. You can cut it, twist it, shape it...

If they can make this work, THINK of the cool nerd applications! Fridges with controls like the Enterprise! My mind boggles at the cool possibilities!!!!

[KneelBeforeZod]

100% efficient... the problem is that if there is a flaw in the factory and you get even a 101% efficient one....

it will get brighter and brighter and you wont be able to turn it off...AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL BE LIT UP FOREVER!!!

[leoncaruthers]

I imagine that in context this means that all the energy supplied to the LED is emitted as visible light, lacking the large IR component of incadescent and ultraviolet bulbs.

[r9etb]

Errrrrr.....

Caught my eye, too.... Perhaps he didn't mean that in the fully technical sense of the term, but rather a more "squeeze as many photons out of the thing as we can" sort of way?

[Squawk 8888]

I expect that statement is probably a misquote by the journo- the engineer probably said something along the lines of "close to 100%", which is feasible with electical devices.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"The Nature paper presents a quantum mechanical trick that solves this problem."

So how will we know if the light is on or off? Will we have to keep a supply of cats around to tell?