Re: beanstalks (was Re: Metallic hydrogen ...)

From: G. R. L. Cowan (gcowan_at_eagle.ca)
Date: 06/07/04 

Date: Mon, 07 Jun 2004 12:08:55 -0400

The Ghost In The Machine wrote:
>
> In sci.physics, Michael Varney
> <varney@colorado_no_spam.edu>
> wrote
> on Mon, 7 Jun 2004 03:45:28 -0600
> <4PWwc.2$DE6.2327@news.uswest.net>:
> >
> > <mmeron@cars3.uchicago.edu> wrote in message
> > news:5OTwc.13$25.2262@news.uchicago.edu...
> >> In article <a11b144e.0406062207.c18cce3@posting.google.com>,
> > economic_refugee@yahoo.com (E.R.) writes:
> >> >Uncle Al <UncleAl0@hate.spam.net> wrote in message
> > news:<40C3BCDF.A0B730E7@hate.spam.net>...
> >> >>
> >> >> How do you gits plan to run your elevator, if and when? You cannot
> >> >> string an electrical conductor along the beanstalk - every time the
> >> >> magnetosphere burped you'd roman candle. Gonna use... rockets?
> >> >
> >> >Free electron lasers supply power to the climber. The climber
> >> >converts this to mechanical energy.
> >> >
> >> Ahh, it is a buzzword powered device. How ingenious:-)
> >
> >:-)
> >
>
> Wouldn't that be dangerous? Isn't one of the problems with the
> space elevator cable vibration thereof?
>
> (The "free electron laser" is an interesting notion, although it
> probably should be called an "easer", instead, to be consistent.
> Basically, a coherent light wave in a laser is generated as a
> beam coming out one side of the laser; why not a coherent wave
> of electrons from an easer?

The electrons are free to emit laser light;
they are not free to leave the device.

I thought the synchrotron light sources
such as the Advanced Photon Source were in fact
a kind of free electron laser, is this incorrect?

--- Graham Cowan
http://www.eagle.ca/~gcowan/Paper_for_11th_CHC.doc --
how individual mobility gains nuclear cachet

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