Electrolaser
Sign in to saveAn electrolaser is a type of electroshock weapon that is also a directed-energy weapon. It uses lasers to form an electrically conductive laser-induced plasma channel (LIPC). A fraction of a second later, a powerful electric current is sent down this plasma channel and delivered to the target, thus functioning overall as a large-scale, high energy, long-distance version of the Taser electroshock gun.
~5 min read
Encyclopedic overview
10 sectionsContents
- Laser-induced plasma channel
- Uses
- Examples of electrolasers
- Applied Energetics
- Phoenix
- HSV Technologies
- Picatinny Arsenal
- Similar devices
- See also
- References
An electrolaser is a type of electroshock weapon that is also a directed-energy weapon. It uses lasers to form an electrically conductive laser-induced plasma channel (LIPC). A fraction of a second later, a powerful electric current is sent down this plasma channel and delivered to the target, thus functioning overall as a large-scale, high energy, long-distance version of the Taser electroshock gun.
Alternating current is sent through a series of step-up transformers, increasing the voltage and decreasing the current. The final voltage may be between 108 and 109 volts. This current is fed into the plasma channel created by the laser beam.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Electrolaser” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.