In the famous TV series, George Lucas' "Star Wars" shows many types of fantastic weapons, but most viewers remembered for lightsaber duels. Unfortunately nothing of the kind is still no, Although the idea in its original: instead of steel blades - striking the beam, vidrazhaye that besides laser attack. Is it possible lightsaber in terms of modern physics?
One option - laser. But even against tremendous advances in laser technology, we are very far from what you see in the movies. The first problem - beamforming fixed length. As you know, light travels to the first obstacle. Suppose, it will be a mirror. As a result, get something, that little resembles the formidable weapons, with fragile mirror at the end.
The second problem - the creation of the beam, capable of cutting various materials. The closest example - Industrial laser welding. That they have worked successfully, require several kilowatts of energy, which creates considerable size power supply, incommensurate with the handle lightsaber. Yes, and "laser" match will be not so, like in the movies. The rays will pass through each other without any effects.
Alternative laser - hot plasma, obtained using high-power electrical discharges in a gaseous environment. Besides various gases exhibit different colors, as in "Star Wars". In terms of modern physics it will look like. to small, but powerful PSU, built-in handle, connected thin long cable, in which both serves and electric discharge gas. When the supply of gas around the filament turns into a hot plasma, capable of accurately, blade, cut any object.
At first glance, all the above is not sufficiently, but the Galactic Empire created more than one day.
