All sci fi shields are vulnerable to visible light lasers

[Guest]

I mean if light can go through the shield and reflect out for you to see it, its got to be able to let visible light through. In that case..... Blow up a trekkie ship with a 6 mt laser!!!!! Oh and this won't work on an ISD, since it is heavily armored anyway.

[Neko_Oni]

It could be that the shields have a limit of how much energy they let through in a certain period *shrug* just a thought. In response to the topic name I can think of a shield that is impervious to visible light, Jerry Pournelle's 'Langstrom Field'.

[SylasGaunt]

Path of the Fury OKM shields to

[Sea Skimmer]

Its more likely that there is an energy thresh hold, since Star Wars ship at least have come within 1000 kilometers of a star and not been damaged.

[Master of Ossus]

Its more likely that there is an energy thresh hold, since Star Wars ship at least have come within 1000 kilometers of a star and not been damaged.

That appears to be what is indicated in ICS, with shield power measured in watts (that's funny. It's called shield POWER). Anything below that threshold and there will be no damage done. Anything above that threshold and there will be.

[Bob McDob]

I recall WC lasers are supposed to lose their effectiveness in atmosphere or any place that breaks up their coherency . . .

[omegaLancer]

one wonder if shield act like polarizing sun glasses, polarizing light.. this would dimish the effect of lasers, and allow potion of visible light thru..

[Darth Wong]

Or it is exceedingly difficult to make a sufficiently powerful laser without using higher-frequency photons.

[Connor MacLeod]

We do know SW shields have some selectivity tied wo that they do and do stop with at least physical objects. They can let slow moving objects pass without harm (TPM) and there are cloaking devices as well (various). While I could not and dare not venture how they would let visible light pass but stop a laser.

Visible light and a "visible light laser" would not neccesarily be the same thing though. Would that matter in blocking or stopping it?

[Mr Bean]

They can let slow moving objects pass without harm (TPM)

Slow Moving? If you refering to Anakins ship during the Space battle, the book I belive says the shield was down to launch more Fighters(At least over the bay)

[neoolong]

What about the Gungan vs. droid battle? The Gungans deployed a shield that repelled blaster fire. But the droids were able to movie through it slowly. At least I'm pretty sure that's what happened.

[Guest]

Or it is exceedingly difficult to make a sufficiently powerful laser without using higher-frequency photons.

Yeah probably, though you could use lots of low power lasers to produce lots of low power photons. Of course there is the problem of armor.

That appears to be what is indicated in ICS, with shield power measured in watts (that's funny. It's called shield POWER). Anything below that threshold and there will be no damage done. Anything above that threshold and there will be.

Yet another example of EU stupidity.

[Guest]

Also depending on the nature of the shield, if it bends radiation around, it can act as a visible light cloaking device. You don't need visible light to see, just use hyperspace sensors.

[Mr Bean]

But the droids were able to movie through it slowly. At least I'm pretty sure that's what happened.

Diffrent style of Shield, That was a specilised version they use underwater
It makes sense to have somthing that can repel anything but slow moving objects(Also notice how its completly diffrent from anything ever seen on regular Imperal Shields?)

It was a smart adaptation of the "force fields" for lack of a better word that they use to keep the air in and the water and animals out

[Mad]

Well, in Trek, when the Enterprise got really close to a star using its metaphasic shielding, I don't recall people in Ten Forward going "Ahhh my eyes!" from the light, or the bridge brightening up at all from the light that should have gotten through the windows at the top. So the light that should've done had to have been stopped somehow. It could be the shields, or maybe the windows polarizing like in Wars. But something had to block the excess visible light.

In Wars, the transparisteel windows polarize when hit with intense light, so I haven't been able to find any direct evidence that Wars' shields can block visible light. (Of course having a technology to protect pilots that doesn't rely on shields when there are shieldless fighters like TIEs around is a good thing.)

[ClaysGhost]

In Wars, the transparisteel windows polarize when hit with intense light, so I haven't been able to find any direct evidence that Wars' shields can block visible light. (Of course having a technology to protect pilots that doesn't rely on shields when there are shieldless fighters like TIEs around is a good thing.)

Cutting down the incoming visible light intensity by a maximum factor of 50%? You'd need more than that, wouldn't you?

[Mad]

Cutting down the incoming visible light intensity by a maximum factor of 50%? You'd need more than that, wouldn't you?

Is 50% the max for transparisteel? I haven't seen a reference mentioning the maximum amount.

If that's the maximum, and there's an instance where 50% isn't enough but the job was still accomplished, then that would be evidence that something more than just transparisteel can filter excess visible light. (Two possibilities would be pilot goggles and, of course, shields.) I don't know of any instances that meet that criteria, though.

[ClaysGhost]

Cutting down the incoming visible light intensity by a maximum factor of 50%? You'd need more than that, wouldn't you?

Is 50% the max for transparisteel? I haven't seen a reference mentioning the maximum amount.

If that's the maximum, and there's an instance where 50% isn't enough but the job was still accomplished, then that would be evidence that something more than just transparisteel can filter excess visible light. (Two possibilities would be pilot goggles and, of course, shields.) I don't know of any instances that meet that criteria, though.

If this "transparisteel" blocks light by becoming polarised, then I can't see how the maximum wouldn't be 50%. You block one polarisation, the orthogonal one will still get through, carrying 50% of the energy of the original wave (the other 50% absorbed by the transparisteel, and presumably heating it slightly).

[Graeme Dice]

Or it is exceedingly difficult to make a sufficiently powerful laser without using higher-frequency photons.

That's most likely the real reason. To increase the energy you can go either for more photons, or higher energy photons. Lots of materials have problems with handling high photon densities, so you go for higher energy photons. Plus, with shorter wavelengths you can get much better focusing over long distances.

[Graeme Dice]

If this "transparisteel" blocks light by becoming polarised, then I can't see how the maximum wouldn't be 50%. You block one polarisation, the orthogonal one will still get through, carrying 50% of the energy of the original wave (the other 50% absorbed by the transparisteel, and presumably heating it slightly).

You block more by using both polarizations at the same time of course. You can block all light if you put the two materials at 90 degrees relative to each other.

[ClaysGhost]

You block more by using both polarizations at the same time of course. You can block all light if you put the two materials at 90 degrees relative to each other.

If this stuff reacts to intense light by developing polarisation, why aren't the polarisation directions of the two layers going to be parallel?

[Connor MacLeod]

But the droids were able to movie through it slowly. At least I'm pretty sure that's what happened.

Diffrent style of Shield, That was a specilised version they use underwater
It makes sense to have somthing that can repel anything but slow moving objects(Also notice how its completly diffrent from anything ever seen on regular Imperal Shields?)

It was a smart adaptation of the "force fields" for lack of a better word that they use to keep the air in and the water and animals out

Really? Explain how the Imperials got throught the shield with TESB, why both the Ep2 VD and ICS mention that Clonetrooper armor and AT-TEs are able to penetrate forcefields (the latter are able to penetrate PARTICLE shielding specifically).

[Connor MacLeod]

I should point out that its not transparisteel itself that blocks out light, its phototropic shielding (I think thats the name, its approximately accurate).

I should note that in the Allston "Wraith Squadron" books, phototropic shielding actually blocks blaster bolts (absorbs) as well as photons.

[Graeme Dice]

If this stuff reacts to intense light by developing polarisation, why aren't the polarisation directions of the two layers going to be parallel?

You spin the one material, or spin its polarization of course.