Do you long for an elegant weapon
from a more civilized age?
Something less clumsy and random.
As you hone your sensitivity to the Force,
you may wonder.
What if lightsabers were real?
For the uninitiated,
all three of you,
the lightsaber is the fictional
weapon of choice
for the Jedi,
the Sith, and other beings who are sensitive
to the Force in the Star Wars franchise.
Back here on Earth, though,
lightsaber duels
are a competitive sport
using LED-lit,
rigid polycarbonate replicas
of the movie props.
These very non-lethal weapons
may emit the same glow we marveled
at on the big screen,
but they're basically
a 1 m (3 feet) long glow stick.
But if lightsabers were real,
Whether you're looking to conquer
a universe or save one,
the power contained within this metal hilt
would certainly help you
achieve your goals.
According to the mythology of Star Wars,
these weapons are powered
by the equally mythical kyber crystals.
But contrary to its name,
this weapon isn't a laser sword.
So, if want to arm yourself
in this reality,
you'd need to harness
the power of plasma.
And by the way,
that's canon, so don't at me.
Plasma is an ionized gas,
and it's considered to be
the fourth state of matter.
This electrical gas cloud
is made of atoms
broken into electrically-charged particles,
with both negatively-charged electrons
and positively-charged ions.
But if you were to press a button
and release this plasma burst at will,
how could you control it?
Well, you'd need a strong magnetic field.
Otherwise, the plasma you released
would extend over 100 m (328 ft),
killing everyone, including you.
The magnetic fields
would counteract the
plasma's increasing pressure,
keeping the plasma confined
in a long, narrow shape.
The International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor
is a tokamak that
contains the strongest magnetic walls
on Earth,
harnessing the energy of fusion.
It took nine suppliers
seven years to create the magnets for it.
It also happens to be
830 m3 (29,311 ft3) big.
So you'd need something a lot smaller
and stronger before you go into battle.
And if the plasma isn't contained properly,
one clash between two lightsabers
would end the duel
by vaporizing you and your opponent.
Magnetic reconnection
is a force that involves
two plasmas colliding with
different magnetic fields.
As the plasmas
come near each other,
the magnetic fields around them
would realign
and release a deadly amount of energy.
In the terms of a different movie,
think of it as "crossing the streams."
And if that isn't bad enough,
if the magnetic fields were even slightly off,
each swing
could send plasma flying everywhere.
But why are the magnetic fields different
in each lightsaber?
Because you want your own color, obviously.
Whether you're wielding
a purple lightsaber,
or a green one,
the colors will depend on
how hot the plasma burns.
As the atoms within
the plasma lose energy,
they release a light.
And the photon's energy
is also related
to the wavelength of the light.
Different wavelengths of light
look like different colors to us.
A sinister-looking lightsaber like
Lord Vader's
would have a temperature around
But if you wanted to build a lightsaber
tribute to Obi-Wan Kenobi,
to get the blue color,
you would need a temperature of around
Each lightsaber would contain
a unique magnetic field,
specific to the heat of its plasma.
This handheld plasma cutter
would rival the strongest weapons-grade
technology in existence.
In 2012,
a United States company developed
the Metal Vapor Torch,
which produces a flame
moving over 2,500 m (8,202 ft) per second
at temperatures over 2,700 °C (4,892 °F).
Since it's more powerful
than any technology produced
by the military-industrial complex,
legally acquiring a lightsaber would
probably be a bit more complicated than
applying for a gun license.
At least, we hope it would be.
After all, the power within this metal hilt
would be greater than a nuclear reactor.
So, if you want to take down
General Grievous,
your lightsaber would need at least
20 MW of power.
And with that much energy,
you could power over
40,000 households in the U.K.
But if you'd rather power this lightsaber
without an AC cord
hooked up to a bulky power source,
you'd need trillions of nanobatteries.
Still being developed
in testing phases,
researchers predict that
the future of our
increasingly miniaturized technology
lies in these powerful macroscopic batteries.
Think of all that raw power
compressed in such a small area.
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Because your body,
like this lightsaber,
needs a power source that's easy to carry.
Owning a working lightsaber
would definitely be a childhood fantasy
come to life.
But ironically,
as the technology behind
plasma containment
and power cells progress,
we're more likely
to move away from this reality.
Just as drone strikes
have replaced the calvary,
creating a confined beam of plasma
probably wouldn't bring us
an age of futuristic swashbuckling.
Instead,
we'd probably use that
destructive technology
on a more massive scale.
Uh, speaking of which, that's no moon.
Oh geez.
What if
we could build the Death Star?
Well, that's a story for another WHAT IF.