How would an actual Laser Gun work?

[Battlehymn Republic]

If no one wants to explain, just point to a link. I'd bet there are loads of speculative papers out there already on this subject.

By "work", I mean I'm not talking about the engineering behind it. I'm talking about how it would operate. This is what I had in mind for my version of a futuristic laser gun (as opposed to the traditional SW blaster and ST phaser):

When the gun is on, it seems like a typical assault rifle. When it isn't fired, there is continuously a red light beam on for targeting purposes- it's like IR, except it comes from within the barrel, not on a separate scope. When the person shoots the laser, the beam's intensity/focus/power(?)/whatever quality increases dramatically, becoming an actual weapon. The laser is very strong, but fires for tiny fractions of a second. So, it can be refired several times. In this case it's very much like a blaster, except you can't see the beam from the side (of course), and I don't know about recoil.

Is this plausible? Please assist.

[NecronLord]

Science, not sci-fi. Moving.

[Sea Skimmer]

When the gun is on, it seems like a typical assault rifle. When it isn't fired, there is continuously a red light beam on for targeting purposes- it's like IR, except it comes from within the barrel, not on a separate scope.

You do NOT want to a continuous IR laser beam on your weapon unless you have a total monopoly on night vision equipment. To a person wearing NVG’s that laser is a very bright line through the air and makes a very bright spot on the ground. It’s a great aid to accuracy because of that, but like tracers the laser points both ways and gives away your exact position.

When the person shoots the laser, the beam's intensity/focus/power(?)/whatever quality increases dramatically, becoming an actual weapon.

The end of a laser is a lense, a very precise and expensive lense that cannot have any flaws. You do not want the lenses constantly exposed to the weather, mud and the hands of the solider. I suggest you make the laser sight a separate assembly (though it can still be an integral part of the gun rather then clip on device, there are handguns on the market which have integral lasers right now). That will allow the laser sight to be turned on and off independently, and it will allow a cap to be kept on the weapons laser lense whenever its not firing. A connection from the trigger to the cap could perhaps cause it to automatically open whenever it’s fired.

The laser is very strong, but fires for tiny fractions of a second. So, it can be refired several times. In this case it's very much like a blaster, except you can't see the beam from the side (of course), and I don't know about recoil.

Lasers have recoil, but its a tiny force even for a very powerful laser.

Is this plausible? Please assist.

Its plausible, but you’d need an extremely powerful laser, like multi megawatt, in ordered for it to be effective. Kentic projectiles are far more effective at killing and destroying then a mere beam of light and heat joule for joule, and when it comes to penetration the laser is really going to suck. Plant life, fog, high humidity, dust in the air ect.. all these things can seriously degrade the amount of energy the laser can deliver to the target, yet would have little or no effect on a bullet.

A laser makes sense for a sniper weapon because of the high accuracy, but its really questionable that one could ever make sense as a general issue infantry weapon.

[Crossroads Inc.]

To Quote from a Science book I read on the subject...
"For the foreseeable future, the best way to kill a man with a 'Laser Gun' is to drop one on him"

[Setesh]

for an infantry weapon the so-called 'electrolaser' would be a better choice.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolaser#Electrolaser

[Battlehymn Republic]

Thanks for the input. My responses are:

1. The idea of having the laser emit a constant low-intensity beam isn't an integral part of the gun itself. I just thought that it would be cool to have a part where the gunman aims the weapon, you see a dim red dot on a wall, and then the person fires it, and the beam suddenly becomes very bright, and then there's a hole in the wall the same size of the dot. Maybe there's a targeting mode when the gun does this?

2. Since this is all just for my fanfiction/original stories, I'm going to handwave power and precision issues.

3. I've already got a character with a super-taser.

[Adrian Laguna]

Go to here. Scroll down untill you see a picture of a Colonial laser pistol from Battlestar Galactica (1978), it should be about half-way down the page. The picture should be labeled as such, begin reading the text next to it. It should begin, "Last but not least is the old standby: the laser pistol." Read until the end of the page. Have fun!




Camcorders of DOOM! Oh, my!

[Lord Sabre Ace]

I don't forsee soldiers carrying lasers anywhere in the near future. I actually saw a laser firing demonstration at Directed Energy Directorate portion of the Research Lab at Kirtland AFB. I was part of a group that attended the AFJROTC Aerospace Science and Technology Honors Camp their over the summer.

That thing was huge. The gun itself was about 5 feet long. Then there were the chemical tanks and the other things used to generate the power for the laser.

http://www.de.afrl.af.mil/

[Sea Skimmer]

Thanks for the input. My responses are:

1. The idea of having the laser emit a constant low-intensity beam isn't an integral part of the gun itself. I just thought that it would be cool to have a part where the gunman aims the weapon, you see a dim red dot on a wall, and then the person fires it, and the beam suddenly becomes very bright, and then there's a hole in the wall the same size of the dot. Maybe there's a targeting mode when the gun does this?

Its much easier to make infrared as opposed to visible light lasers, and the IR energy penetrates the air better. So if anyone sees a dot on the wall, it should be with night vision goggles.

2. Since this is all just for my fanfiction/original stories, I'm going to handwave power and precision issues.

I figured as much. You'll also need to handwave the issue of waste heat, because otherwise the user will either need a truck-mounted radiator, or he will be cooked alive.

[brianeyci]

Go to here.

Is it just me or does the picture of Kirk holding a phaser rifle look really badass? Hell the "assault phaser", I'm assuming from the movies, look really badass too.

Brian

[Setesh]

Go to here.

Is it just me or does the picture of Kirk holding a phaser rifle look really badass? Hell the "assault phaser", I'm assuming from the movies, look really badass too.

Brian

The 'assault phaser' was used in The Final Frontier and The Undiscovered Country.

But you want badass, here's Bones holding up the romulan diplomat with one,