Subject: Re: Mrowr? (Lasers)
From: jaguar@warwick.net (Jagwar)
Date: 10/1/1996 7:35 PM
To: kats@maxie.com

In a message dated 6:20 PM 10/1/96, Dana Uehara wrote:

Paul:  You don't need radioactive substances to have a laser.

Lessee...  "laser" stands for "light amplification by simulated
emission of radiation," if I remember the acronym properly.  All
you'd need, then, would be something that would emit radiation (not
necessarily something *radioactive*) and something else to concentrate
it so that everything is coherent (in this case, everything focused in
one direction).

        That's the difference between electromagnetic radiation (light,
radio waves, etc.) and ionizing radiation (alpha, beta, gamma, etc.).
Lasers put out light and MASERs microwaves.  An x-ray laser might be
another case.  The shorter wavelength carries more energy than visible
light, which would make an x-laser very useful.  <EG>  That is, if anyone
develops one that really works.  It still wouldn't make things permanently
radioactive though.
        Is the big gnarly thing Zed blows up the mountain with supposed to
be an x-laser?  (Kewel 'splosion wasn't it?)  I think animators just throw
in lasers most of the time 'cause they look better than ordinary ordnance.


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