Plasma torch ≠ light saber
this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2023
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What's the difference? A laser plasma source instead of a chemical one?
well, aside the fact that we don't really know exactly what a lightsaber is (frozen light? contained plasma? magical glow stick?) there's all sorts of problems with it. A beam of plasma itself doesn't have the ability block things, doesn't behave like a sword. and neither does a laser. or anything else.
The closest might be an electric arc. (which, is a shit load of electricity flowing through a plasma channel.) Which, conceivably could be deformed sufficiently to create a blade-like shape... but that would take a shit load of power (as in... black out an entire city for a few minutes...level of power...) so putting that into a cylinder small enough to be hand held seems... er... explosive.
this would have the advantage that it touches would stick to it, get obscenely hot, and, uh, die. It wouldn't really "cut" anything though. it has the disadvantage of shorting out on anything conductive and connected to ground. Basically... you get hit with it and it dumps most or all of it's energy into you.... at least until you turn into vapor.
Pretty sure the current fansplanation/schematic books say they're plasma contained by a mag field. And this has been the explanation for like, thirty years.
This is what causes lightsaber clashes and lets them reflect blaster bolts, and occasionally explains why Jedi don't cut their way through every door. Apparently, because reasons, some doors are magnetically shielded as well.
A precaution against vacuum? Or just cuz? Sci Fi logic either way.
Of course, if it was contained plasma, cutting through someone should, like, catch them on fire, but it mostly just seems to cleanly cauterize the wound.
Magnet(ic fields), how do they work?
its a fancy lighter , cant have a sword fight with those
If I can have a sword fight with my homie with our piss streams, we can have one with flaming plasma swords.
Once read a theoretical on how could a light saber be built.
The first concern was energy source. It implied developing an entirely new concept of super compact, super dense, super conductor based, nano scale batteries, capable of stories several gigawatts of power.
The concern was insulation and protection for the wielder. This demanded an entire class of materials, probably new kinds of ceramics, reinforced at the molecular level to withstand the pressure...
Of the third concern wich was forming and projecting the blade itself, for which was proposed a magnetic field contained, super condensed plasma beam, exuded through a series of nano tubes that would extend from the handles by the sheer pressure of the plasma.
So, in all good faith, sonething to aspire in the 500 or 600 years.
The original lightsaber had an external battery connected by a wire. Lightsaber technology evolved over thousands of years until they became what we know today.
This is all just baby steps...
They also had magic crystals connected to a galactic energy field
Baby steps...
Step 1: be a space wizard.
Step 2 : have magic space energy crystals.
We can't prove Dark Energy isn't the Force 😤
The first concern was energy source. It implied developing an entirely new concept of super compact, super dense, super conductor based, nano scale batteries, capable of stories several gigawatts of power.
Can't we just use kyber crystals? /s
As soon as we find them!
it isn't be able to do much because heat transfer into exactly too awesome, it doesn't act like a solid blade at all, and if a real lightsaber was made any skin it touched would explode due to rapid expansion of steaming blood