Hacker News with Generative AI: Lasers

Laser Breakthrough can read text from a mile away (sciencealert.com)
Your eyesight might be good enough to confidently read the tiny text at the optometrist from a few meters away. But you're left in the dust by a new device recently demoed by researchers, which was able to scan tiny individual characters of text from a distance of 1.36 kilometers (about 0.85 miles).

Technology, Science, Optics, Lasers

7 points by wmstack 33 days ago | 0 comments

ZEUS – A new two-petawatt laser facility at the University of Michigan (engin.umich.edu)
The ZEUS laser facility at the University of Michigan has roughly doubled the peak power of any other laser in the U.S. with its first official experiment at 2 petawatts (2 quadrillion watts).

Lasers, Science, Research

126 points by voxadam 38 days ago | 107 comments

CO2 laser enables long-range detection of radioactive material (physicsworld.com)
Researchers have demonstrated that they can remotely detect radioactive material from 10 m away using short-pulse CO2 lasers – a distance over ten times farther than achieved via previous methods.

Physics, Lasers, Radioactive Materials

113 points by EA-3167 98 days ago | 23 comments

Ukraine Announces Successful Use of First Laser Weapon on Battlefield (thedefensepost.com)
A Ukrainian military commander has announced the successful use of the country’s first laser weapon on the battlefield, revealing that it has effectively targeted specific objects.

Ukraine, Military, Warfare, Technology, Lasers

16 points by wslh 139 days ago | 0 comments

Navy Helios Laser Aboard USS Preble Zaps Drone in Latest Test (twz.com)
The Navy has disclosed that the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Preble successfully test-fired its High-Energy Laser with Integrated Optical Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) system to take out an aerial target drone in Fiscal Year 2024.

Military Technology, Lasers, Drones, Defense

4 points by zfg 144 days ago | 1 comments

US Navy releases photo showing USS Preble firing HELIOS laser weapon (bulgarianmilitary.com)
The US Navy has released a new photo showing the USS Preble [DDG-88] firing its HELIOS laser weapon into the sea.

Military, Technology, Weapons, US Navy, Lasers

10 points by belter 144 days ago | 1 comments

Optical Frequency Combs (nist.gov)
Optical frequency combs are specialized lasers that act like a ruler for light. They measure exact frequencies of light — from the invisible infrared and ultraviolet to visible red, yellow, green and blue light — quickly and accurately.

Lasers, Physics, Optics, Measurement

126 points by zafka 148 days ago | 40 comments

Laser technique measures distances with nanometre precision (newscientist.com)
A new way to gauge distance using lasers can measure lengths of more than 100 kilometres to within a thousandth of the width of a human hair, and could be used to make better space telescopes.

Science, Technology, Measurement, Lasers, Space

39 points by westurner 165 days ago | 20 comments

Ukraine says it has a laser that can shoot down aircraft a mile away (cnn.com)

Ukraine, Military Technology, Defense, Warfare, Lasers

10 points by peutetre 191 days ago | 0 comments

Planes over N.J. hit by lasers as hunt for drones continues (nj.com)
Several pilots flying over New Jersey reported their planes were hit by lasers in recent days, leading aviation officials to warn residents about the dangers of pointing lasers at aircraft.

Aviation Safety, New Jersey, Drones, Lasers

7 points by gnabgib 191 days ago | 0 comments

Scientists discover laser light can cast a shadow (phys.org)
Can light itself cast a shadow? It may sound like a philosophical riddle, but researchers have found that under certain conditions, a laser beam can act like an opaque object and cast a shadow.

Physics, Science, Optics, Lasers

53 points by passwordoops 225 days ago | 21 comments

NASA Investigates Laser-Beam Welding in a Vacuum for In-Space Manufacturing (slashdot.org)

NASA, Space Exploration, Manufacturing, Technology, Lasers

78 points by CHB0403085482 229 days ago | 71 comments

New laser could cram GPS alternative into a shoebox (ieee.org)
Dramatically more sensitive motion sensors could help ships keep track of their positions at sea, even in rough weather or when a military opponent jams GPS signals. However, these advanced sensors are typically lab-scale in size. Now researchers have developed a new laser system to help make these sensors fit in a shoebox, as well as potentially mass-producible.

Navigation, Technology, Lasers, Military

79 points by fofoz 277 days ago | 98 comments

DragonFire Laser Weapon Will Equip Royal Navy Warships from 2027 (theaviationist.com)
The UK Ministry of Defence announced that the new, cutting-edge DragonFire laser will be installed on Royal Navy warships for the first time from 2027.

Military Technology, Royal Navy, Lasers, Defense

7 points by peutetre 286 days ago | 0 comments

Making a rickroll laser: A parametric speaker (10maurycy10.github.io)
Most speakers emit sound in all directions because they are relatively small compared to the wavelength.

Sound, Audio Engineering, DIY Projects, Lasers

190 points by pabs3 287 days ago | 61 comments

Transferring energy from nitrogen to argon enables 2-way cascaded lasing in air (phys.org)

Physics, Lasers, Science

76 points by wglb 307 days ago | 26 comments

Inside the Three-Way Race to Create the Most Widely Used Laser (ieee.org)

Lasers, Technology, Competition, Science

44 points by jnord 348 days ago | 5 comments

DARPA's military-grade 'quantum laser' will use entangled photons to outshine (livescience.com)

Quantum Computing, Military Technology, Physics, Lasers

12 points by smarm52 371 days ago | 3 comments

Army soldiers not impressed with Strykers outfitted with 50-kilowatt lasers (breakingdefense.com)