Japanese scientists make breakthrough in space-based laser power

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Osaka University have been working together to develop a device which converts sunlight into laser-light with four times the efficiency of previous attempts. According to a report out of Tokyo, the team is working on Space-based solar power systems which can collect sunlight in space and convert it into laser light, which is then transmitted to Earth and used for electricity... or to power a massive Death-Ray. The project works by storing sunlight-based energy in plate made from a sintered powder of metals like chromium and neodymium. When weak laser light is shined onto the plate, the stored energy is transferred to the laser where its strength is amplified by a factor of four. In one test, a 0.5-watt laser was amplified to 180-watts by the plates. Scientists have thus far been able to garner 40-percent of the solar energy produced, and they hope to have a system ready for satellite mounting by the not-too-distant year 2030. Huzzah! [Warning: read link requires subscription]

[SL @ Sep 4th 2007 2:38PM]

Can't wait for the laser's beam to miss and vaporize someone's neighbourhood. Remember Simcity 2000?

[Karl Viklund @ Sep 4th 2007 2:38PM]

Something for Mr. Evil :)

[Mike @ Sep 4th 2007 4:03PM]

It's Dr. Evil. He didn't go to evil med school to be called Mr.

[Woody @ Sep 4th 2007 2:44PM]

Talk about self fulfilling prophecy. Has anybody seen the Japanese Anime movie Akira? Giant space based laser powered by the sun... hummmm

[Hyperion2010 @ Sep 4th 2007 2:44PM]

Looks like good ole asimov might have got at least something in iRobot right :D

[dxchase @ Sep 4th 2007 2:51PM]

And in a few hundred years, maybe we will see a Death Star!

[Jack @ Sep 4th 2007 5:23PM]

Ion Canon Ready...

[blueeyesm @ Sep 4th 2007 2:54PM]

:D

If Christian extremists made this, it could be dubbed the "Christ Cannon"

"go with God...." *ZAAP!*

Orrr...


If its manned, it could be dubbed The Watch Tower...
(manned by a tall green alien)

[David @ Sep 4th 2007 3:36PM]

Mate - You got problems. Thank goodness idiots like you aren't running the bloody program.

[blueeyesm @ Sep 4th 2007 3:44PM]

@David:

Humour w/ references. Now take a deep breath and relax.

[John @ Sep 4th 2007 4:33PM]

References? All I see is your weak sarcasm built from ideas, nothing at all like references.

[domochan @ Sep 4th 2007 5:19PM]

omg you 2, get a life and quit complaining about ppl's irrelevant post. don't reply to my post either..... assmunch

[injate @ Sep 4th 2007 2:55PM]

what if it hits a cloud. does the cloud explode?

[oGMo @ Sep 4th 2007 3:06PM]

no, cloud gets the materia then the satellite explodes

[John @ Sep 4th 2007 4:35PM]

Bahamut is your friend (not in Advent Children...).

[Jedidiah Lau @ Sep 4th 2007 2:56PM]

i

[injate @ Sep 4th 2007 3:00PM]

o

[zach starer @ Sep 4th 2007 3:59PM]

u

[shaun @ Sep 4th 2007 2:58PM]

I'm pretty sure austin powers 3 had a similar premise

[Passarinhuu @ Sep 4th 2007 3:00PM]

well, we can expect heavy ionization/dissociaton in the atmosphere...

[ssuk @ Sep 4th 2007 3:07PM]

MiniMe Stop humping the laser!

[Xzavier @ Sep 4th 2007 3:10PM]

Moonraker anyone?

[Diogo @ Sep 4th 2007 3:18PM]

Isn't it easier to use Solar parabolic collectors and stirling engines to create energy using parabolic dishes or solar power towers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_One) or one of the newest (though more expensive) solar cells which are capable of 42% efficiency (on the planet's surface, let alone in space, since we lose some solar power due to the atmosphere) ?

Just a thought...

[Mike @ Sep 4th 2007 7:02PM]

one word... night. A satellite in Lagrange 1 (stable position between Earth and Sun) could get 24 hour solar power. the laser would need to be relayed by further sattelites before reaching the ground station, due to the rotation of the Earth, and the tracking would need to be spot on. We would also need to develop a cult of humanoid robots to worship and maintain the beam.

[Slvrgun @ Sep 4th 2007 3:22PM]

The USA military is surely already on this one.

[HineyWipe @ Sep 4th 2007 3:55PM]

Spied secret space weapons info from Japanese gvt:

"ohhh, you see, we put BIG American Magnifrying grass in orbit!"
"ooooo. It cook you fast, dead ant! Go, Go, Go"

[KirbyMeister @ Sep 4th 2007 4:02PM]

JAPAN'S CHARGIN ITS LAZOR

[OddManOut @ Sep 4th 2007 4:19PM]

"It's the SOL sir!"

[John @ Sep 4th 2007 4:37PM]

TETSUO!!!

KANEDA!!!

(repeat many times...)

[Anthony @ Sep 4th 2007 4:22PM]

Finally we can bring an end to this conflict and destroy Kane's temple!

[Kal-El @ Sep 4th 2007 4:28PM]

Prepare the giant "laser".

[Scooter @ Sep 4th 2007 4:39PM]

can we get an unboxing and a hands-on review please.

[randy @ Sep 4th 2007 5:06PM]

Not sure how these LASERs would be any more efficient than solar heliostat arrays like STACEE.

[Josh Simmons @ Sep 4th 2007 5:22PM]

Danger, Will Robinson! This is pretty exciting technology, it's the stuff of science fiction.

[Dorf @ Sep 4th 2007 5:23PM]

What happens if you have a few sats up there and you cross the streams?

[Mathew @ Sep 4th 2007 6:37PM]

Dr. Egon Spengler: It would be bad.
Dr. Peter Venkman: I'm fuzzy on the whole good/bad thing. What do you mean, "bad"?
Dr. Egon Spengler: Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light.
Dr Ray Stantz: Total protonic reversal.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Right. That's bad. Okay. All right. Important safety tip. Thanks, Egon.

[randy @ Sep 4th 2007 5:44PM]

What happens to terrorist if I accidentally point this at him? What I'm asking is, will the smoldering zombie pieces still be edible by pigeons?

[Bevon Findley @ Sep 4th 2007 6:02PM]

Maybe they can finally get Osama bin laden. Bush needs to make a surprise trip to japan and ask to use it lol

[Terry Thomas @ Sep 4th 2007 6:41PM]

180 Watts?

The toaster in my kitchen uses more energy than that!

Someone please call Doc Brown at KLondike-54385 and tell him to keep working on his "Mr. Fusion Home Energy Converter" to get it's plutonium flux capacitor to generate 1.21 jigowatts of power.

:-)

[Mike @ Sep 4th 2007 7:06PM]

a 180 watt laser could probably cut you in half. Laser toaster. Theres no mention of how physically big the device is, so its not fair to be too critical at the moment.

[Mike @ Sep 4th 2007 7:08PM]

that should read "a laser is not equivenlent to a toaster" dam site removed my equation.

[Fruition @ Sep 4th 2007 10:56PM]

No, no... I like it the way it is. Clearly we need more of these so-called "Laser toasters".

But the real question is... When will the laser toaster be available for home use? I want to toast my bread with the power of lasers!

[Joey @ Sep 4th 2007 6:44PM]

They don't mention what wavelength or color this laser is. If its infared it won't zap houses. Might not even do that if its a visible laser beam either. 'Course if it does go off course they'd only have to put a ring of mirrors around the original target to reflect the light up to sensors to turn off the laser. But, I'm sure they'll have double, if not triple redundant systems and monitoring stations if these lasers can hurt people. As for photovoltaic cells on the planet, the clouds get in the way to often, and deserts are unstable so building there is expensive. Its probably better to put a satellite in space in the long run, not to mention unlimited realestate up there right now. Haha.

[jackson @ Sep 4th 2007 8:42PM]

2030???? According to Back to the future 2, we're supposed to have flying cars by 2015. Damn we suck!

[Husar @ Sep 4th 2007 9:49PM]

Reminds me of Die another Day...

[Kevin @ Sep 4th 2007 10:22PM]

the Japanese are limited from making excessive weapons like N-bombs and a so called death ray

[yayikillu @ Sep 4th 2007 10:24PM]

by the US

[yavin @ Sep 5th 2007 4:51AM]

0.5 watts * 4 = 2 watts and not 180W

not a factor of 4 but more like 360!!!!

[MattC @ Sep 5th 2007 10:50AM]

Where exactly do they say it multiplies the power by 4? Just curious...

[yavin @ Sep 7th 2007 8:48AM]

"When weak laser light is shined onto the plate, the stored energy is transferred to the laser where its strength is amplified by a factor of four."

or I am not understanding the wording correctly (in this case, please explain)