what would happen if a really powerful laser was shone on a mirror?
2006-12-30 20:48:05 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
You'd put an eye out kid.
2006-12-30 20:55:08 · answer #1 · answered by higg1966 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No mirror is 100% reflective on all wavelengths. A modern mirror reflects 80% of the visible light that hits it. And if a laser shines on the mirror that means that 20% of the beam's energy would be heating the glass.
Better mirrors can be created, like those used in optical instruments. But I don't think that a mirror that reflects 100% of the light that hits it is even physically possible.
So, if a laser is powerful enough then it could probably melt or shatter any mirror.
2006-12-30 21:00:24 · answer #2 · answered by Sasyl 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Really Powerful Laser
2016-11-04 03:45:52 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lasers burn through things because of the heat generated by the beam. Whether or not a laser will burn through a mirror depends on the heat generated by the beam and the material the mirror is made out of.
2006-12-30 21:53:35 · answer #4 · answered by minuteblue 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would still bounce. Although it woudl eventually heat the mirror enough that it would warp, it would stop bouncing and finally birn through.
Lasers are just a form of light amplification and mirrors reflect light. But laswers also generate heat (which is how they cut...they actually burn through them like a welders torch) and the heat would eventually warp the shape of the mirror, or possibly break it if it was sufficiently powerful enough.
Personally I am waiting for them to design a good one that is portable...right now, any that could gut much take too much power and need a source for tha power bigger than a person could carry.
2006-12-30 20:58:17 · answer #5 · answered by kveldulf_gondlir 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
since a laser makes an extreme amount of heat it will eventualy burn through the mirror--just depends on the energy pushing the laser
2006-12-30 21:02:39 · answer #6 · answered by wftxrabbit 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is why high powered lasers use high quality optics. All optics absorb, there is no perfect optical component, but it's a matter of how much. If the mirror only absorbes a fraction of the energy, and is cooled, it will survive the laser.
2006-12-30 20:53:58 · answer #7 · answered by ZeedoT 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Everything hot enough burns/ melts.
2006-12-30 21:11:33 · answer #8 · answered by My name is not bruce 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wouldn't you think that all that bouncing would slow things down a bit?
2006-12-30 20:57:30 · answer #9 · answered by erytmyst 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
then it will make very big ouchie
2014-11-18 11:47:03 · answer #10 · answered by Doug R 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋