| Louie N | 08 Mar 2018 1:45 p.m. PST |
Hello, I was just wondering. Do laser based weapons need a long barrel tube that is often depicted on Sci-fi vehicles and starships. Does the laser simply need a lens? Can you direct the beam from a flat aperture? I am just curious.
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| Eclectic Wave | 08 Mar 2018 2:22 p.m. PST |
Best answer is "depends". It depends on how you want to do it. Set the entire laser in the turret and you might need a barrel for all the equipment. But I believe that even with that setup it won't be as 'long' as traditional Sci-fi has depicked it. Or you mount the laser vertically under the turret, and have the turret only have a really good mirror to reflect the beam and a lens and the answer is no, you don't need the barrel. |
| MajorB | 08 Mar 2018 3:19 p.m. PST |
Of course a laser weapon needs a long barrel. It looks cool!! |
Oberlindes Sol LIC  | 08 Mar 2018 7:00 p.m. PST |
I'm with MajorB on this one! |
| TNE2300 | 08 Mar 2018 7:30 p.m. PST |
In order to penetrate an opponent's hull, laser energy must be focused onto a small point on the target's surface, measured in watts or joules of energy per square centimeter. The equation goes like this: I=(P/[L/D]^2)/R^2……So how big does our focal dish need to be? Let's go out on a limb and say 10 meters in diameter Designers notes for GDW's Brilliant Lances:
grognard.com/info/brillanc.txt |
| EJNashIII | 08 Mar 2018 7:38 p.m. PST |
The US Airforce test weapon, Boeing YAL-1, had no barrel at all. link |
| JimSelzer | 09 Mar 2018 2:39 a.m. PST |
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| DyeHard | 09 Mar 2018 10:19 a.m. PST |
In the real world a laser does not need a barrel at all.
Also no lenses, the emitter is a flat optic.
In deployment, the beam would be directed by a mirror on the gimbal mount. The thing that might look like a barrel would be a shroud to keep things away from the emitter and/or gimbal. A laser itself can be as thin as a sheet of paper. The body of the laser contains the gain media which is a big factor in the intercity of the laser. Older lasers needed big tube shaped bodies to contain the gain media, but more modern designs put the gain media in a fiber and this can be coiled in almost any shape. In fiction, you can do what you like. |
| Sargonarhes | 10 Mar 2018 12:32 p.m. PST |
I'd say it would really depend on what you wanted the system designed for, you want the realistic look, advance look or the cool factor.
I tend to mix these elements to make some tech marked differently from others. If the laser has a barrel it might look cool, but it clearly isn't as advance as the laser coming from an emitter with the same range and joules of power. |
| Mick the Metalsmith | 11 Mar 2018 7:20 a.m. PST |
Short and fat or long and thin, is debatable but she hates short and thin. |
updates a squad to the new edition of the rules.