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How strong is a Lightsaber anyway, as in how much energy does it put out?

Mine runs on two duracell "C" batteries. So whatever that is.

Yogi wrote:How strong is a Lightsaber anyway, as in how much energy does it put out?

Well, it's strong enough to knock away blaster bolts and cut through various kinds of metal, so that's a lower limit.

Lets not forget melting through 3 (?) blast doors during TPM

Yeah, 3.

Question: Why wasn't Qui-Gon's beard singed during all that? I can't imagine that it was cool being so close to molten metal!

Well, the lightsaber doesn't radiate much heat, and his hand was between his face and the door. (why his HAND wasn't singed is another matter )

That is the best avoidal of the question all day ! Does anyone know if it is mentioned in the novelisation at all?

He used the force.

What to conduct the heat away from himself? Cool!

That's the only thing I can think of ...

Speaking of which, do lightsabers themselves have thermal effects, or not? The molten door would seem to be conclusive in this regard prima facie.

I always did assume that they cauterised wounds unlike ANH, but following the example of TESB and AotC. So yes surely they do have a thermal component.

Lightsabres need not to be hot to create heat. If it's a COLD energy beam that excites molecules, it would fit the bill.

If I recall correctly, the output is 75-100 MW. Now that sounds little - but the intensity, assuming the actual beam is atom thin, is quite high. I calculated it once to ~44 TT. Decrease as proportionally for a larger beam.

Lightsabres need not to be hot to create heat. If it's a COLD energy beam that excites molecules, it would fit the bill.

If I recall correctly, the output is 75-100 MW. Now that sounds little - but the intensity, assuming the actual beam is atom thin, is quite high. I calculated it once to ~44 TT. Decrease as proportionally for a larger beam.

*sigh* Double post.. and I even checked if my first click got through or not. Looks like that doesn't help.

IG-88E wrote:Well, the lightsaber doesn't radiate much heat, and his hand was between his face and the door. (why his HAND wasn't singed is another matter )

Actually it doesn't radiate heat at all, it's actually cold (From what I hear from some EU). But it's effects are thermal. Apparently a Lightsaber is a Paradox, It give off no heat, but it can burn ya.

Can anyone due calcs on how fast it was able to melt those blast doors?

Ofcourse we don't know how much stronger durasteel is to normal steel, but still.

In shadows of the empire it mentions Luke placing his hand on the hilt near the blade and feeling no heat. Luke thinks to himself that some sort of conductor was working. damn, i just re read the book last week. something to that effect. so no, Qui Gon would not have singed hands from the lightsabre. only the door itself but then how close can you really get to something like that without getting burned.

It probably has a fixed point at where all the heat is contained. One point, you feel no heat. One millimeter closer, you burn your hand. What kind of mechanism could contain the heat?

On the topic of double-posting, if you double post, and then comment on the double-post, isn't it technically a triple-post?

Crown wrote:I always did assume that they cauterised wounds unlike ANH, but following the example of TESB and AotC. So yes surely they do have a thermal component.

Many people have specualted that the lightsaber did not cauterize the alien's arm because Kenobi either sliced way too fast for any real cauterization to occur, or the alien had weird flesh.
I don't really know.

The arm hit the ground, that to me would be enough to burst some of the vessels at least and get blood to spill out. remember, Lukes arm wasn't spurting blood, neither was Anakin's or Zam's for that matter. In fact Jango's stump wasn't spraying a shower over Mace.

anarchistbunny wrote:Can anyone due calcs on how fast it was able to melt those blast doors?

Ofcourse we don't know how much stronger durasteel is to normal steel, but still.

http://www.trek-wars.info/lightsab.html

assumes Iron rather than steel.
I keep meaning to throw in calcs for concrete, because the doors are actually steelcrete from the novellisation. I just keep forgetting to dig out thermo data for concrete.

Captain tycho wrote:

Crown wrote:I always did assume that they cauterised wounds unlike ANH, but following the example of TESB and AotC. So yes surely they do have a thermal component.

Many people have specualted that the lightsaber did not cauterize the alien's arm because Kenobi either sliced way too fast for any real cauterization to occur, or the alien had weird flesh.
I don't really know.

Lightsabers do heat what they cut through - when droids are cut in TPM you can see the edges glowing as though almost melting, so it probably does somehow cauterize wounds, but the blade itself is not going to be that hot (no melting snow in ESB, no boiling water when they are used underwater in the EU etc.)

Lord Edam wrote:http://www.trek-wars.info/lightsab.html

assumes Iron rather than steel.
I keep meaning to throw in calcs for concrete, because the doors are actually steelcrete from the novellisation. I just keep forgetting to dig out thermo data for concrete.

Interesting, though I disagree with him on the width of the cut. That is NOT 15 cm. The excess glowing stuff is the material from the cut spilling over to the sides. The blade itself is much smaller than that, and so is the actual iron melted.