this post was submitted on 22 Oct 2023
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Laser Beams Deflected Off of Nothing but Air for First Time Ever in Breakthrough Patent Pending Process - The Debrief::An international team of scientists report that they have successfully used acoustics to deflect laser beams in an engineering first.

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[–] Subverb@lemmy.world 84 points 2 years ago (2 children)

140 decibels. I'm sure some applications exist but it won't be a 3D TV soon.

[–] Slowy@lemmy.world 43 points 2 years ago (1 children)

In an ultrasonic frequency we can’t hear. But your pets and any nearby bats or rodents etc may be upset by it..

[–] feminalpanda@lemmings.world 56 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Can't hear but still cause damage?

[–] Slowy@lemmy.world 63 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I didn’t know the answer to this so I looked it up - yes. Over 120 Db can cause damage even if it’s ultrasonic and you can’t hear it. Apparently at 155Db the heat created by the sound wave can be dangerous as well.

[–] Kazumara@feddit.de 38 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (5 children)

Just a small note, it's written dB, small "d", big "B".

"B" is the unit symbol for bel and "d" is the symbol for the SI prefix deci, a tenth.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago

Trust this guy, when it comes to the small d he knows everything about it.

[–] Slowy@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

Oops, thanks for the correction!

[–] EthicalAI@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago (1 children)

In that case can we use just B. MB, etc.

[–] Kazumara@feddit.de 3 points 2 years ago

Oh yes, sure you can, 140 dB is 0.000014 MB. The confusing thing is just that the non-SI unit byte also uses the symbol "B" and uses the SI prefix "M" quite often.

Sometimes when I calculate optical power levels I actually use B in between. For example:

How much signal is 88 optical channels at 1.6 dBm of power each?

0 dBm = 1 mW by definition

1.6 dB = 0.16 B = log10 ( x ) --> x = 10 ^ 0.16 = 1.45

So 1.6 dBm is 1.45 * 1 mW = 1.45 mW

Then 88 channels is 88 * 1.45 mW = 127.60 mW = 127.60 * 1 mW

log10(127.60) = 2.11 B = 21.1 dB

So 127.20 mW is 21.1 dBm, just below the output specification of our amplifier, good, nothing should melt.

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[–] Hamartiogonic@sopuli.xyz 15 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Yes. Industrial grade ultrasonic sensors are harmful to your health. They can be used, for example, to measure the water level in a tank. If you need to enter a place like that, you should physically disconnect the sensor first. You might not hear much of the noise, but you may feel it in your teeth or some other places.

[–] sic_1@feddit.de 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Weren't there some huge high power sonars that could melt people to goo?

[–] feminalpanda@lemmings.world 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yep, and hurt whales from the pressure.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

Oh, so not all bad then

[–] figaro@lemdro.id 1 points 2 years ago

Loud lightsabers?

[–] dlpkl@lemmy.world 61 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)

Hard light dildos let's fucking goooo

[–] just_another_person@lemmy.world 25 points 2 years ago

Man, they're going to have remake all the Star Wars porn parodies all over again.

[–] SzethFriendOfNimi@lemmy.world 8 points 2 years ago

Code Bullet? That you?

[–] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 3 points 2 years ago

Light saber what?

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[–] tacostrange@lemmy.ml 24 points 2 years ago (2 children)
[–] a4ng3l@lemmy.world 11 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Yelling lightsabers at that loudness. All the better imho.

[–] evranch@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

Luke!

WHAT?

LUKE! I AM YOUR...

WHAAAT? TURN YOUR LIGHTSABER OFF IF YOU GOT SOMETHING TO SAY

HELL NO YOU TURN OFF YOUR LIGHTSABER BOY

[–] SzethFriendOfNimi@lemmy.world 10 points 2 years ago

Holograms or maybe molecular scale tractor beams?

[–] Seasm0ke@lemmy.world 19 points 2 years ago (1 children)
[–] sir_reginald@lemmy.world 50 points 2 years ago (7 children)

considering the lab experiment with just one laser required a sound level of about 140 decibels that consume 20 gigawatts, I don't think holodecks are going to be a practical device.

[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 61 points 2 years ago (1 children)

WHAT DID YOU SAY? I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER MY HOLO-WAIFU

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

"NOTICE ME SENPAI!!1"

[–] Seasm0ke@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago (2 children)

Great points, but you know how things go. Proof of concept is a bloated laboratory implementation, then the tech gets smaller and more efficient over time. Next thing you know the sound is outside of human hearing range and the laser projector is fitted to a drone.

[–] echo64@lemmy.world 27 points 2 years ago (1 children)

More realisticly how things go, experimental research only works in lab conditions, clickbait article suggests it's coming next year, people make giant assumptions, people lose faith in science because the promised thing doesn't arrive

[–] Seasm0ke@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

Lol probably, we are definitely more on track for cyberpunk or idiocracy than star trek post scarcity socialist utopia

[–] bstix@feddit.dk 3 points 2 years ago

According to the article it's already using ultrasound.

[–] LastYearsPumpkin@feddit.ch 8 points 2 years ago

So they can only do holodeck simulations of EDM shows.

[–] ThoGot@lemm.ee 4 points 2 years ago

It may be interesting to see how humidity and temperature influence the laser (or even other gases as mentioned in the article)

[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

So like, ten years at most

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[–] Reygle@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

Horseshit. Don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining.

Edit: this is more horseshit like the "room temperature superconductor" that was instantly debunked as a horseshit scheme recently.

Sound pressure waves cannot distort spacetime

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 12 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Space battles would be so much cooler if every now and then the phaser gets split around the ship instead of hitting the shields.

Would also work even when shields are down.

[–] LinuxSBC@lemm.ee 18 points 2 years ago (3 children)

But that needs air. There's no air in space.

[–] CosmicTurtle@lemmy.world 18 points 2 years ago

There's an Air and Space Museum

[–] abhibeckert@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 children)

Doesn't need to be air "in space", there just needs to be air somewhere between the laser weapon and whatever it is you don't want the weapon to destroy...

... although it'd probably be easier to use a mirror. Maybe one pointing directly at the person holding a laser weapon. ;-)

[–] brianorca@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Corner reflector. Send it back where it came from, without knowing where they are ahead of time.

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Damn... you're right.

Maybe they'll find another way now that they've found one.

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[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 6 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I mean, that's a 20GW laser, what about those handheld lasers? Would you still need 140db?

[–] Brokkr@lemmy.world 5 points 2 years ago

It would happen regardless of the power of the laser, but it would likely be undetectable at significantly lower power.

[–] off_apparition@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (4 children)
[–] Aopen@discuss.tchncs.de 5 points 2 years ago

Art of Manliness?

[–] onlinepersona@programming.dev 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)
[–] crashoverride@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Why not a BM?

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[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago

Age Of Mempires?

[–] karakoram@lemmy.world 1 points 2 years ago (3 children)

Doesn't an AOM typically have a lens?

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