Hacker News with Generative AI: Lasers

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ukraine says it has a laser that can shoot down aircraft a mile away (cnn.com)
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.
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.
NASA Investigates Laser-Beam Welding in a Vacuum for In-Space Manufacturing (slashdot.org)
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.
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.
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.
Transferring energy from nitrogen to argon enables 2-way cascaded lasing in air (phys.org)
Inside the Three-Way Race to Create the Most Widely Used Laser (ieee.org)
DARPA's military-grade 'quantum laser' will use entangled photons to outshine (livescience.com)
Army soldiers not impressed with Strykers outfitted with 50-kilowatt lasers (breakingdefense.com)
Femtosecond lasers create 3D midair plasma displays you can touch (2015) (ieee.org)
Atomic nucleus excited with laser: A breakthrough after decades (tuwien.at)
China makes advances in laser-propelled submarines (scmp.com)