Laser Defense Lab
한국어

Reading path

An order for first-time readers. Read from the top and you will be able to follow news about laser weapons. The first four stages are beginner articles on lasers that need no background; military technology next to lasers and wider military technology follow.

  1. Stage 1

    Start here

    What light and a laser are, plus units and safety. No background needed. 10 articles · 8 published

    1. B1What is a laser? How it differs from a light bulbLevel: Beginner
    2. B2Light basics: waves, wavelength, frequency and photonsLevel: Beginner
    3. B3The three parts of a laser: gain medium, pump and resonatorLevel: Beginner
    4. B4Laser types at a glance: gas, solid-state, fiber, semiconductorLevel: Beginner
    5. B5Why wavelength matters: visible and invisible lightLevel: Beginner
    6. B6Power, energy and intensity: W, J and W/cm²Level: Beginner
    7. B7Continuous-wave and pulsed lasersLevel: Beginner
    8. B14Laser safety: classes and how to read eyewear labelsLevel: Beginner
    9. N1Units and dB notes: reading W, dBm and ratiosLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    10. N4Finding open sources: where to look for government reports, papers and standardsLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

  2. Stage 2

    Technology

    How lasers are built, scaled and measured: amplifiers, fiber lasers, components and industrial use. 18 articles · 5 published

    1. B9Oscillators and amplifiers: making light, then growing itLevel: Beginner
    2. B8Q-switching and mode locking: two ways to make short pulsesLevel: Beginner
    3. B10Interference and diffraction: how light adds up and spreadsLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    4. B11Polarization: the direction in which light vibratesLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    5. B12Why a beam spreads: divergence, focus and apertureLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    6. F1What is a fiber laser? Growing light inside a thin glass fiberLevel: Beginner
    7. F2How a fiber guides light: core and claddingLevel: Beginner
    8. F3Why fiber lasers became so widely used: from the lab to the factoryLevel: Beginner
    9. H1Inside a laser lab: from the optical table to the power meterLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    10. H2Pump diodes: the part that turns electricity into lightLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    11. H3Mirrors, lenses and coatings: optics for strong lightLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    12. H4Measuring light: power meters, beam profilers, spectrum analyzersLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    13. H6Power supplies and chillers: the equipment behind a laserLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    14. I1Where industrial lasers are used: cutting, welding, marking, cleaningLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    15. I2How a laser processes material: absorption, heating and meltingLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    16. I3What laser companies make: from components to complete lasersLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    17. I5Measuring with lasers: range finding and lidar basicsLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    18. S1Why lasers are studied by calculation firstLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

  3. Stage 3

    Laser weapons

    What laser weapons actually do, their strengths and limits, history, public programs and how to read the news. 9 articles · 0 published

    1. W1What is a laser weapon? Film versus realityLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    2. W2Why a laser weapon does not finish "the instant it fires"Level: BeginnerIn preparation
    3. W3Strengths and limits of laser weaponsLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    4. W4A history of laser weapons: from chemical to electric lasersLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    5. W6Lasers and high-power microwaves: two kinds of directed energyLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    6. W5Laser weapon programs that have been made publicLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    7. W8Eye safety and international rules: the protocol on blinding laser weaponsLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    8. W7How to read laser weapon news: "kW-class", "range" and "cost per shot"Level: BeginnerIn preparation
    9. W9Lasers, interceptor missiles and guns: how they share the workLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

  4. Stage 4

    System integration

    What must be solved together for a laser to become a system: gimbals, optics, power, cooling, weight and environment. 7 articles · 0 published

    1. T1A laser weapon is more than a laser: the system at a glanceLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    2. T2Gimbals, pointing and tracking: holding the beam on one spotLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    3. T3Beam director optics: lenses, mirrors, coatings and a large apertureLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    4. T4Power and efficiency: the share of electricity that becomes light sets the size of the systemLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    5. T5Cooling and thermal management: where the heat that did not become light goesLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    6. T6Weight and platforms: fitting on a vehicle, ship or aircraftLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    7. T9Environmental durability: rain, dust, heat, cold and saltLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

  5. Stage 5

    Military technology next to lasers

    Beginner articles that read well alongside the laser weapon articles: sensors, air defense, drones and counter-drone systems, and weapons that run on electricity. 21 articles · 2 published

    Sensors and signals

    1. M51Radar: measuring distance and motion with radio wavesLevel: Beginner
    2. M54Infrared search and track: seeing aircraft without emittingLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    3. M56Fire-control systems: linking sensors and weaponsLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    4. M20Inertial and satellite navigation: knowing where you areLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    5. M81Electronic warfare: the invisible contestLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

    3 more in preparation

    Air defense

    1. M14Surface-to-air missiles: ground systems that guard the skyLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    2. M57Anti-aircraft artillery in the missile ageLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    3. M59Layered missile defense: why defense comes in layersLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

    1 more in preparation

    Drones and counter-drone

    1. M65ISR drones: why endurance mattersLevel: Beginner
    2. M67Counter-drone systems: why one device is not enoughLevel: BeginnerIn preparation
    3. M95The cost of drone defenseLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

    4 more in preparation

    Electric power and testing

    1. M90Electromagnetic railguns: launching with electricityLevel: BeginnerIn preparation

    1 more in preparation

  6. Stage 6

    Wider military technology

    The principles of military technology for beginners, from missiles, aircraft and ships to land systems, space and industry. 63 articles · 1 published

    Missiles and Rockets

    1. M1Cold launch: why some missiles pop out before ignitingLevel: Beginner

    8 more in preparation

    Guided Weapons and Munitions

    6 articles in preparation

    Military Aircraft

    10 articles in preparation

    Ships and Undersea

    10 articles in preparation

    Land Systems

    10 articles in preparation

    Radar and Air Defense

    1 articles in preparation

    Drones and Unmanned Systems

    4 articles in preparation

    EW, Comms and Space

    6 articles in preparation

    Defense Tech and Industry

    7 articles in preparation

  7. Stage 7

    Going deeper (intermediate)

    Intermediate articles for readers who finished the four stages above. 21 articles · 5 published

    1. B13Beam quality: M², divergence and brightnessLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    2. F4Double-clad fibers and how pump light gets in: separate paths for laser light and pump lightLevel: Intermediate
    3. F5Limits of a single fiber (1): nonlinear effects (SBS, SRS)Level: Intermediate
    4. F6Limits of a single fiber (2): heat and mode instabilityLevel: Intermediate
    5. F7Why beam combining is needed, and its three approachesLevel: Intermediate
    6. F8Coherent beam combining: the principle, from published reviewsLevel: Intermediate
    7. H5Isolators and fiber components: keeping light from going backwardsLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    8. I4Ultrashort-pulse laser processing: why less heat is left behindLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    9. S2The basic idea of beam propagation: Gaussian beams and diffractionLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    10. S3A look at openly available calculation toolsLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    11. T7Vibration and shock: protecting optics on a moving platformLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    12. T8Fast steering mirrors: small, quick mirrors that cancel shakeLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    13. T10Light through air: absorption, scattering, turbulence, thermal bloomingLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    14. T11Adaptive optics: restoring a blurred beamLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    15. N2Reading a review paper on high-power fiber lasersLevel: IntermediateIn preparation
    16. N3An overview of the beam measurement standard: how M² is defined to be measuredLevel: IntermediateIn preparation

    5 more in preparation