Is Building a Working Lightsaber Actually Possible?

Could lightsaber technology be just around the corner?

Transcript

00:00Since we were kids and first saw Luke Skywalker wield one in Star Wars, no

00:08doubt all of us have dreamt of owning a lightsaber. But despite advances in

00:12lasers, we still don't have laser swords. But scientifically speaking, is it even

00:17possible? Science Alert reports that lightsabers would likely have to be

00:20plasma, or ionized streams of gas that form a circuit with whatever they're

00:23cutting. We know that plasma streams can boast temperatures upwards of 36,000

00:27degrees Fahrenheit. But because it needs to complete a circuit, plasma can't cut

00:31non-conductive things like wood, or the arms of aliens. Not to mention you would

00:38need a tank for all of the ionized gas. There has been some recent research into

00:42iodine pellets as an alternative. A volatile material would converse

00:45directly into a gas, but it hardly burns hot enough to cut like a lightsaber. Of

00:49course we do have laser technology, even powerful ones made for cutting. But could

00:52a laser sword ever stop another laser sword of similar make? Based on particle

00:56physics, there are some conditions where light photons might collide rather than

01:00exchange electrons, theoretically stopping one another. But could that be

01:03manipulated to build a lightsaber? The only answer is we pretty much have no

01:07idea.