Star Wars was the first science fiction movie I watched, not counting the pseudo-science fiction movies I had watched before. This groundbreaking work started the global science fiction movie trend, and it is not inferior to the current science fiction movies with perfect special effects. There are various styles of spaceships, different types of laser weapons, energy shields, and robots in Star Wars, but the most impressive and talked-about thing is the lightsaber used by the Jedi Knights.
Lightsaber fantasy of personal weapons
Lightsabers are very consistent with our fantasy of personal weapons. They can reflect lasers and have destructive power on any object. Nothing can resist the killing power of lightsabers except using another lightsaber to block. Many initially thought that lightsabers should be made of lasers, but this idea does not make sense. Lasers have no entity, but lightsabers have an entity when used because two can block each other. So, what is the light on the lightsaber?
Kyber crystal lightsaber
According to the description in the movie, a lightsaber consists of a handle with a Kyber crystal in it. When a Jedi uses a lightsaber, he must charge the Kyber crystal. After the energy is injected, it emits plasma energy and then uses a strong magnetic field to constrain it into a specific shape. This is the image of the lightsaber in the movie. Different lightsabers have different colors, and the colors are not explained in the movie. However, to reflect the difference between evil and justice, the lightsabers the evil side uses are generally red. In contrast, the lightsabers used by the righteous Jedi are generally light blue or dark green.
Who do lightsabers work?
Lightsabers need strong magnetic field constraints; in other words, they need to be constrained by Jedi Knights with strong “Force,” so the strength of “Force” is emphasized in the movie. But what is a lightsaber in reality? Can humans make it? Kyber crystals are science fiction settings that we will not discuss, but plasma does exist. We can first figure out what plasma is. Plasma is a particle state widely present in the universe, and 99% of the particles are in a plasma state.
For example, most of the matter is in a plasma state on the sun in our solar system. Plasma is formed when the electrons in atoms become free electrons and break away from the atomic constraints at extremely high temperatures. Plasma, also called plasma, is the state of ionized gas formed by atoms and atomic groups that have been deprived of electrons. It is also considered the fourth form of matter besides solid, gas, and liquid. Plasma carries extremely high energy because it is a stream of positively charged atoms so that a magnetic field will control it.
Lightsaber, in simple words
In other words, to make a lightsaber, we must restrict this gaseous plasma flow into the shape we want through a magnetic field. The lightsaber’s power also makes us guess that the plasma flow required for the lightsaber should be very large, and the magnetic field should also be extremely large. The energy released by the controlled nuclear fusion of the artificial sun we are currently studying is also confined by a strong magnetic field. Moreover, a minimum temperature of 50 million degrees is required to achieve nuclear fusion.
The nuclear fuel may also be in a plasma state at this temperature. However, the handle of the lightsaber is not easy to make because it is needed to store energy that can undergo nuclear fusion, and it must also be able to generate a super strong magnetic field to constrain the energy. The fact that the lightsabers of Jedi Knights can block each other also shows that the magnetic field of the lightsaber is very strong, so strong that it can be used as a tangible substance.
Summary
Through analysis, we get the basic principle of lightsaber: making a handle that can be held. There needs to be a small hydrogen bomb in the handle, the nuclear fusion must be controllable, and a strong magnetic field device must be installed inside. We cannot make such a delicate, small nuclear fusion device. However, it is a bit painful for the user. If there is no powerful “Force” like the Jedi Knights in the movie, the light energy radiated by the lightsaber alone can vaporize the nearby substances. In this situation, I admire the Jedi Knights a little bit because they are equivalent to fighting with a hydrogen bomb in their arms.