Is it possible to make a laser gun, like in sc-fi movies?

Answer 1

Lasers are used everyday in society, and there are even laser weapons that are powerful enough to blow missiles from the sky.

You could build a laser pistol today but it would not have the power to do anything but place a dot on the target you are aiming at like a laser pointer.

The problem is with a power supply with enough juice to give your weapon the energy it needs to do damage. And still be portable by one person. Additionaly, there are problems with overcoming atmospheric interference also.

Currently with the weapons they have produced it takes a very large system to generate that kind of energy. They are mounted on large aircraft like passenger liners, and they are looking at possibly arming Navy vessels with some forms of them.

So to answer your question, No with current technology we could not make a man portable laser gun that is effective. However, I'd bet money that there are engineers and physicists who are trying to work out those kinks as we speak.

Answer 2

The guns shown in sci-fi movies rarely function like real lasers. A real laser has an invisible beam (it's only visible where it hits something), travels at the speed of light, and does not make much sound at all, unless the object it hits hisses or explodes due to rapid heating.

Sci-fi movie guns (such as the alien's gun in Predator) usually show a visible projectile moving at a sub-lightspeed velocity. Only by a large stretch of the imagination could this be called a laser.

It is certainly possible to build a laser capable of punching holes in thick pieces of metal. However, the energy demands are rather large, and you need thousands of pounds of capacitors.

Answer 3

Yes, the chemical laser is being tested as we speak. Ground based lasers have knocked down missiles up to 100,000 feet in altitude & airborne lasers have knocked down missiles 300 miles away. The atmosphere is the chief enemy of the laser & they tend to degrade rapidly through the Earth's atmosphere. Several companies have proposals in to the Pentagon on the use of lasers as a missile defense system.

Answer 4

You mean laser gun capable of deliver a considerable amount of energy to melt down objects?

With today's technology, the gun would be way too heavy to carry. Nope, Han Solo's blaster is still in a far far away galaxy.

Answer 5

Yes, and the military is working on such. The principal problem is that they require a lot of power, which tends to be scarce on battlefields.

Answer 6

any plasma beam takes an enormous amount of energy to produce, although we do have the physics to make a weapon the power needed to drive it is impractical

Answer 7

Yes if you have a truck full of capacitors follow you around for power.

Answer 8

What are your starting materials?

Answer 9

no