[HN Gopher] How to Make a Gravilaser
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       How to Make a Gravilaser
        
       Author : raattgift
       Score  : 35 points
       Date   : 2024-01-29 07:14 UTC (6 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (astrobites.org)
 (TXT) w3m dump (astrobites.org)
        
       | adrianN wrote:
       | That would probably be a nice device for extremely long range
       | communications.
        
         | jacquesm wrote:
         | That's been covered here before:
         | 
         | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24587923
        
       | oneshtein wrote:
       | It's look like we can create a gravitational propulsion device
       | powered by electricity alone.
        
         | sethrin wrote:
         | It's a long stretch of the imagination to suggest that this
         | will ever have macroscopically observable effects, and
         | relativity doesn't generally admit any kind of "gravity drive"
         | without exotic matter.
        
       | gpderetta wrote:
       | A better name should be graser, but it is already taken [1].
       | Gaser doesn't sound as cool. Any other option?
       | 
       | [1] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/graser
        
         | p1mrx wrote:
         | Gwaser. Gwaser is what bwings us togedda today.
        
           | Terr_ wrote:
           | "Dat bwessed awwangement, coherence widdin a beam."
        
       | cycomanic wrote:
       | The summary article completely omits the description of how to do
       | the feedback. A laser (and FEL) need a cavity for coherent light
       | emission (typically with mirrors), otherwise we just have
       | spontaneous emission (which is incoherent). So how does one make
       | a gravitational wave cavity, or even a GW mirror?
        
         | rolph wrote:
         | with a black hole
        
         | itishappy wrote:
         | Lasers don't need cavities. (This may not be a universally held
         | opinion.)
         | 
         | X-ray lasers, nitrogen lasers, and astrophysical masers are
         | examples I've seen.
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray_laser
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_laser
         | 
         | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrophysical_maser
        
         | dtgriscom wrote:
         | You don't nee mirrors for a laser; in fact some type of media
         | cannot use use mirrors as the light generation quickly changes
         | to light absorption.
         | 
         | https://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasercn2.htm
         | 
         | "An Unusual Kind of Gas Laser that Puts Out Pulses in the UV".
         | C. L. Stong, Scientific American, June 1974, pp. 122-127
        
       | dtgriscom wrote:
       | Side note: I reeeeally hate web pages that implement "sexy"
       | active-scrolling behaviors, because it completely breaks my
       | track-pad use.
        
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