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mee
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Has anyone created a radio laser, if not why not if you know...
waht said:Yup MASERS are it. Some common ones are Hydrogen which is excited at 1.4 GHz , or Ammonia at 24 GHz. And of course there is Cesium atomic clock which works at about 9.1 GHz.
waht said:Masers are a source of very precise clock signals which only a few exist like the one's I already mentioned earlier. Few kinds exist because there aren't a lot of mediums which absorb radio frequency.
Because of this, there is a only a limited number of frequencies avialable to communicate with the probe, and I'm sure FCC would not allow transmission at these frequencies anyways.
Masers are not efficient and in space every circuit is carefully constructed to use as little power as possible. Other electronic circuits like the frequency synthesizer, can be used to synthesize any radio wave at any frequency with accuracy that rivals that of a maser.
Space probes transmit data back to Earth at a power level less that 5 Watts, which means the radio wave signal has power similar to your cell phone or walkie-talkie. It is because of very sensitive dishes on Earth that can pick up this signal from a couple billion miles away.
vanesch said:There is in fact no point in develloping, say, a 5 MHz radio-laser. The reason is that with electronic means (locked-in oscillators), we are perfectly capable to generate highly coherent radiation of 5 MHz: a radio transmitter does exactly that. The amplification by stimulated emission of radiation is only interesting if we have no direct means of generating the radiation with the coherent phase relations we desire.
mee said:But will it be directional without lasers?
A radio laser, also known as a maser, is a device that produces highly focused and coherent radio waves. It is similar to a traditional laser, but operates at much longer wavelengths.
A radio laser works by using a process called stimulated emission, where atoms or molecules in a special material are stimulated to emit photons in a specific direction, resulting in a focused beam of radio waves.
A radio laser has many potential applications, including communication, radar and remote sensing, and astrophysics research. It can also be used in precision measurements and in the creation of atomic clocks.
One major advantage of a radio laser is its longer wavelength, which allows for better penetration through certain materials and less interference from atmospheric disturbances. Additionally, radio lasers can operate at much lower power levels compared to traditional lasers.
One of the main challenges in creating a radio laser is finding the right materials that can produce stimulated emission at radio wavelengths. Another challenge is the precise alignment and control of the emitted radio waves, which are necessary for the laser to function properly.