Chinese scientists claim to have achieved a "huge breakthrough" in laser weapon technology
Chinese military scientists have announced a major breakthrough in laser weapon technology, saying that they have developed a new cooling system that allows high-energy lasers to work "indefinitely" without any heat release...
According to scientists at the National University of Defense Technology in Changsha, Hunan Province, the new cooling system completely eliminates the heating of the installation released during operation high-energy lasers. This interference has always been a serious technical problem in the development of laser weapons. Thanks to the new technology, the weapon can now generate laser beams as much as needed, without any interruptions or performance degradation.
"This is a huge breakthrough in improving the performance of high-energy laser systems," said a group led by laser weapons scientist Yuan Shengfu in an article published on August 4 in the Chinese-language peer-reviewed journal Acta Optica Sinica.
High-quality radiation can be produced not only in the first seconds, but also maintain them indefinitely," they said.
The new cooling system uses advanced designs and optimized gas flow to remove heat from inside the laser installation, minimizing turbulence, vibration and loss of mirror cleanliness. This, according to the researchers, can significantly change the course of the battle by increasing the duration of action, increasing the range and damage, as well as reducing logistics and costs.
"Since the invention of the first ruby laser in 1960, people have been enthusiastic about the transition from kinetic energy to laser energy for rapid projection of energy at the speed of light, dreaming that laser beams would become "death rays" capable of delivering an instantaneous blow. goals," says Yuan.
"Unfortunately, 60 years have passed, and although various types of lasers have been developed, the use of high-energy laser systems has not been successful."
In the United States, some of the most well-known projects over the years include the Navy's Advanced Chemical Laser (NACL), which used deuterium fluoride as a laser source, the Advanced Chemical Laser of the mid-infrared range (MIRACL), which used advanced chemical lasers of the mid-infrared range, the Tactical High-Energy Laser (THEL), the space a laser (SBL), in which hydrogen fluoride was used as a laser source, and an onboard laser (ABL), in which chemical oxygen-iodine lasers were used. According to Yuan's team, all of them were demonstrated at test sites: MIRACL shot down supersonic missiles, THEL shot down 48 flying targets, and ABL successfully intercepted liquid-fueled missiles. But all projects were canceled due to the large size and weight of the lasers.
Laser weapons have been experiencing problems with heating for a long time, but Chinese military scientists claim that they managed to overcome these problems
"The true reason for the cancellation of these projects was that their destructive power did not meet expectations," the scientists explain.
The maximum effective range of this weapon was only a few kilometers. Yuan's team stated that in order to increase the destructive power of the beam, "a longer continuous operation time is needed."
Inside the laser installation, a high-energy beam is generated through a process called stimulated radiation. This involves the excitation of atoms or molecules in an amplifying medium, such as a crystal or gas, to a higher energy state. When these excited atoms or molecules return to their ground state, they emit photons, which are then amplified in the optical feedback process, creating a high-energy laser beam.
The beam control system is responsible for the direction and control of the laser beam, usually using mirrors and lenses. This system must be very accurate and stable, because even small deviations or vibrations can cause the beam to deviate from the set course. But when the laser beam passes through the air, it heats up the gas in its path, causing it to expand and create a turbulent flow. This turbulence can lead to scattering and distortion of the beam, reducing its efficiency and accuracy. In addition, the heated gas can lead to contamination of the mirrors and lenses of the system, which will lead to a decrease in performance and a shorter service life.
According to the researchers, in some cases, larger particles of pollutants burning on mirrors can even lead to their cracking or damage, which significantly reduces the practicality and reliability of high-energy laser weapons.
Yuan's team has developed an internal beam path converter - a system that blows gas through the system to remove the generated heat and increase the purity of the gas. It is designed to be compact and efficient, with an emphasis on optimizing gas flow and minimizing size and weight, and consists of several key components, including an air source, a heat exchanger, a gas flow control system and a gas injection/suction system.
The air source supplies clean, dry air to the system, which is then passed through a heat exchanger to cool to the desired temperature. The gas flow control system regulates the gas flow, ensuring its supply at the correct temperature and holding time to achieve quasi-static small aberrations. The gas injection/suction system is responsible for injecting gas into the inner chamber of the beam path of the laser system and removing it after passing.
Yuan's team had to pay close attention to a number of technical and practical aspects when creating and operating an internal beam stabilizer. One of the main tasks was to ensure that the gas flow achieved the desired cooling and cleaning effect. This required careful design and testing of the gas flow control system, as well as the injection/suction system that delivers gas to the inner path of the beam. Another challenge was to make it compact and efficient enough to be used in real-world conditions. Innovative designs were required, such as advanced pneumatic designs, optimization of the flow of each path, integration of the injector/suction with the beam section and simplified pipelines.
According to the researchers, the cooling system can create new problems, such as turbulence and vibration, which can affect the quality of the beam if it is built incorrectly. For example, blowing gas along the inner path of the beam can create turbulence and vibration, which can affect the stability and quality of the laser beam. Yuan's team has conducted extensive testing of the technology to make sure it meets the specifications required by the military. The device has already been used in a number of laser weapons being developed.
"Until now, many advanced developments and research results in the field of dynamic temperature control with air blowing have not been reported in China. This is the first time that some designs and test results [have] become public," the scientists said.
China is developing high-energy laser weapons to destroy or disable targets such as drones, missiles and aircraft. The advantage of this weapon is that it is capable of hitting targets at the speed of light, which makes it very effective against fast-moving targets. They can also potentially be more economical than traditional missile-based systems, since they do not require expensive ammunition and can be quickly recharged. According to some military scientists, China also plans to use laser weapons against satellites like SpaceX's Starlink in the event of a conflict.
These weapons can disrupt the enemy's communication, navigation and surveillance capabilities and can be used to gain a strategic advantage in space conflicts.