It is, of course, not yet powerful enough to destroy the planet, but it is already very promising: the superlaser is planned to be used to clean up space debris.
Australian physicists have taken the issue of weapons from the future seriously and have created a prototype of the Death Star laser from the Star Wars saga. The futuristic "superweapon" consists of several lasers that combine in one devastating shot.
The Macquarie University team used a clear diamond to create the prototype. It was placed at the junction of the laser beams. Thanks to this, it was possible to avoid the scattering of light, or the "Raman effect", which is often found with a conventional laser.
The idea of creating such a superlaser, of course, is not new; they have already tried to develop it more than once both in Russia and abroad. However, a problem arose all the time: the material, which was supposed to "collect" several laser beams together, constantly overheated. This is the competitive advantage of the diamond - it has high heat resistance.
Researchers from Australia believe that the study of the capabilities of the superlaser and its application on an industrial scale can become breakthroughs in the fields of military technology, aircraft and even the space industry - the authors propose using it to remove space debris.
The first trials of the diamond laser were successful in a short period of time, and researchers continue to test it over a longer period. While the laser, being in an active state for a long time, can interfere with the operation of drones, missiles and other small objects.
