Rumors about the creation of small laser weapons in China do not have to refute, because at the current level of technology to create them is simply impossible. This is the position of an expert invited by the portal Styropyro to comment on the news, which appeared a few days ago. Main idea: the creation of portable laser is much more complicated than building a lab.

The first controversial point: what is the wavelength of this laser? In the leaks tells about a miracle-the radiation that passes through the glass and ignite clothing and burn the human skin. However, this is materials with very different properties and if using a simple infrared laser we can actually set fire to the sulphur head of a match, the human flesh he will not do anything. In the best case, such a beam will blind a person, which is directly prohibited by the Geneva Convention on the use of laser weapons.

Next, using the Stefan-Boltzmann law, it was relatively easy to calculate the power that would be required to set fire to the clothing of the soldier in the distance – a little more than 640 watts. But why take so much energy, if we are talking about a compact rifle with a weight of 3-4 kg? Shoulder backpack with batteries for a couple of shots? What’s even more strange is the rumor about the ability of a laser rifle to ignite gasoline or other fuel from a distance. Just watch the video:


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However, we cannot completely exclude the appearance at the same time heavy duty and compact batteries, which will provide a proper result. But then someone will be interested in the laser rifle, if the battery is the greatest breakthrough since the invention of the wheel? Alas, even the advanced combat lasers armies in the world still look like sheds on wheels, so to the desired level of miniaturization is very, very far away.
Source — Styropyro