Real life lightsaber using lasers or plasma? Scientists say no. (Photo : UQ)
Scientists reveal that the concept of a lightsaber used in the Star Wars movies will apparently not work in real life however, lasers can be used in place that can create the same effect to the Jedi's iconic sword.
Now, physicists from the University of Queensland are exploring the possibilities of how to create real life lightsabers which have been a very timely chance for the opening of the latest installment of the newest Star Wars film.
According to physicist Martin Ringbauer from the University of Queensland, the reason why a real lightsaber will not work is because beams of light will just pass through each other. He adds how the biggest problem of a real lightsaber is that the light will not stop at the end.
Ringbauer explains how a laser will not simply stop hitting something solid or being reflected back to itself using a mirror. Apart from this, a real life lightsaber is also apparently a useless weapon to fight against the dark side.
Ringbauer says that light simply does not like to interact with itself, which means two beams of ligh will just pass through each other, which can be utterly useless during a fight.
However, there is a solution to this, as research physicist James Bennett reveals how lasers with plasma can turn this sci-fi weapon into a reality. He says that lasers combined with plasma can create something "vaguely" like a lightsaber.
He explains how the story behind the Star Wars' lightsaber is not light that is contained inside the saber but actual plasma that is contained within a loop which feeds back into itself. Bennett adds that in reality, containing plasmas has bee something that scientists have been successfully doing for decades, making it possible to create plasma with lasers.
Ringabauer also adds that the most powerful industrial lasers can cut through steel and are now being used in car manufacturing. However, he still believes that technology is not within reach for creating lightsabers today.
