This may sound like a dumb question, but if this laser produces more energy OUTPUT than 2000 times the power capacity of the US infrastructure, where does it get its power INPUT? Assuming that the laser is an 100% efficient energy conversion, then where would you get that much power? And if by some miracle this laser is producing terawatts of "free energy" (a physics impossibility) than why aren't we using it to supply the entire world's power needs instead of "studying astronomical in miniature"?
I'm going to assume some kind of capacitor, thought I claim to be nothing close to an expert in the field. After all, it IS only tenth of a trillionth of a second. Thoughts?
IT-Accountant, I was wondering the same thing. I assume because of the extremely short duration of "laser on" that something like that is possible. Does anyone know the answer to this?
Watts are measure in Joules per second. So if the laser ran for 1 second it would use one petawatt. By only running for a tenth of a trillionth of a second it doesn't use all that power.
While it's firing, it uses that much energy, but apparently it only fires for a tiny fraction of a second. They must have some kind of huge capacitors to store up the charge.
Like most lasers, it seems that efficiency on this thing is pitifully bad.
There is a giant bank of capacitors used to power this thing.
When they say that it produces more energy output than 2000 times the capacity of the US, take the energy capacity of the US for 1/10th of a trillionth of a second, and multiply that by 2000.
The energy output could power the US for 0.000000002 seconds (or something like that...)
Now, if they operated this thing continuously for a couple of seconds, then yeah, the lights in your house may blink...
By default watts are a per second rate. So that means that this thing can output the same power as the united states can in two thousand one trillionths of a second.
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This may sound like a dumb question, but if this laser produces more energy OUTPUT than 2000 times the power capacity of the US infrastructure, where does it get its power INPUT? Assuming that the laser is an 100% efficient energy conversion, then where would you get that much power? And if by some miracle this laser is producing terawatts of "free energy" (a physics impossibility) than why aren't we using it to supply the entire world's power needs instead of "studying astronomical in miniature"?
where's the power? easy.
*flexes*
I'm going to assume some kind of capacitor, thought I claim to be nothing close to an expert in the field. After all, it IS only tenth of a trillionth of a second. Thoughts?
IT-Accountant, I was wondering the same thing. I assume because of the extremely short duration of "laser on" that something like that is possible. Does anyone know the answer to this?
Watts are measure in Joules per second. So if the laser ran for 1 second it would use one petawatt. By only running for a tenth of a trillionth of a second it doesn't use all that power.
On paper it probably has that potential. Reality would obviously be another story.
still no believers?
*grits teeth - keeps flexing*
While it's firing, it uses that much energy, but apparently it only fires for a tiny fraction of a second. They must have some kind of huge capacitors to store up the charge.
Like most lasers, it seems that efficiency on this thing is pitifully bad.
Well... a petawatt is 1'000'000'000'000'000 Watts. right?
We have that burst for a tenth of a trillionth of a second... that's. 0.0000000000001 seconds.
now just counting the 0s I'm getting something like 100 watts.
That's no more than what an average Engadget readers gadget-collection consumes whilst on standby / charging.
Even if the lasers efficiency is at only 1%, the computers in said lab will probably eat up more power.
There is a giant bank of capacitors used to power this thing.
When they say that it produces more energy output than 2000 times the capacity of the US, take the energy capacity of the US for 1/10th of a trillionth of a second, and multiply that by 2000.
The energy output could power the US for 0.000000002 seconds (or something like that...)
Now, if they operated this thing continuously for a couple of seconds, then yeah, the lights in your house may blink...
oh...i guess the adults are talking. i guess i'll go over to the kids table now.
*flexes quietly - other kids not so impressed*
By default watts are a per second rate. So that means that this thing can output the same power as the united states can in two thousand one trillionths of a second.
Chuck Norris
what, no references to 1.21 jiggawatts yet? i'm putting 2 points on each of your nerd licenses
...a petarray of triple As.