Because a plasma is electrically conductive, it can convey a large electrical current to the target material, heating it up and melting it. While such a device is called a plasma cutter, it is really an electrical arc cutter or welder , as the plasma actually acts as a conductor to let an electrical current flow through it.
Most plasma cutters work best when the material being cut is a conductor, as the material can therefore complete the circuit and send the arc's electrical current back to the cutter device by means of a cable clamped to the target.
There are even twin torches, with electricity passing between two torches, allowing the user to cut nonconductive materials. Are lightsabers simply ultrahot plasma tubes, then? Not necessarily, as a plasma acts somewhat like a hot gas, which expands and cools, just like an ordinary fire which is often a plasma, albeit an incomplete one, as can be seen by the fact that it glows. So if a plasma is the base technology of a light saber, it needs to be contained.
Luckily there is a mechanism for doing this. Plasmas, being composed of charged particles some with very high velocities , can be manipulated by magnetic fields. In fact, some of the more promising technologies involved with nuclear fusion research use magnetic fields to contain plasmas. The temperatures and total energy contained in fusion plasmas are so high that they would melt their metal containment vessels. So this is promising for lightsabers, too. Strong magnetic fields, coupled with a very hot and dense plasma provide a candidate method for creating a lightsaber.
However, we're not done. If we had two magnetically contained tubes of plasma, they'd pass right through one another … so no epic lightsaber duels. For that, we need to figure out a way to make a solid core for the sabers.
And the material that makes up the core would have to be impervious to the hot temperatures. One possible material would be ceramics, which can be brought to very high temperatures without melting, softening or distorting.
But a solid ceramic core doesn't work: When not in use, the hilt of the lightsaber dangles from the belt of a Jedi, and the hilt is maybe 8 or 10 inches 20 to 25 centimeters long. So the ceramic core would have to spring out of the hilt much in the same way plastic toy lightsabers work. So that's my best guess for how to build a lightsaber, but even this design has problems. This sets some serious constraints on how hot the plasma would have to be.
Maybe the Darth Vader cut doesn't count, as Obi-Wan's body disappeared. Clearly something else is going on there. The technology necessary to create Dr.
He estimates that nanobatteries are about 50 years away from being practical. But it seems we can look forward to a day when such an elegant and powerful weapon is a real possibility. Visit the Eureka! Gallery at Science World where you can use straws, bricks, and other materials to build anything your imagination conjures. Follow Tech Insider on Facebook and Twitter. For you. World globe An icon of the world globe, indicating different international options. Get the Insider App. Click here to learn more.
A leading-edge research firm focused on digital transformation. Good Subscriber Account active since Shortcuts. When he was working on early designs, Estacio used AA batteries, but found that they would die after only about 20 minutes of use—no respectable Jedi would stand for that. He now recommends using a lithium-ion battery, which is about the size of a thumb and should be enough to power the lightsaber for about an hour or two, depending on the current and voltage requirements associated with the LED and the number of LEDs you use.
You can make your own by purchasing a chrome sink tube 1. Make sure everything fits inside the hilt and functions correctly before attaching the blade. Roll the film up so that it aligns with the inside of the tube before you attach the tube to the hilt.
Estacio stresses that the materials will vary depending on where you obtain them, which makes each lightsaber project distinctive. But to ensure that your personalized saber will function in battle, understanding the electronics is key, he says.
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