Question: Nuclear-pumped x-ray lasers ate seen as a possible weapon to destroy ICBM booster rockets at ranges up to 2000 km. One limitation on such a

Nuclear-pumped x-ray lasers ate seen as a possible weapon to destroy ICBM booster rockets at ranges up to 2000 km. One limitation on such a device is the spreading of the beam due to diffraction, with resulting dilution of beam intensity. Consider such a laser operating at a wavelength of 1.40 nm. The element that emits light is the end of a wire with diameter 0.200 mm.

(a) Calculate the diameter of the central beam at a target 2000 km away from the beam source.

(b) By what factor is the beam intensity reduced in transit to the target? (The laser is fired from space, so that atmospheric absorption can be ignored.)

Step by Step Solution

3.28 Rating (174 Votes )

There are 3 Steps involved in it

1 Expert Approved Answer
Step: 1 Unlock

Eq 3614 gives the Rayleigh angle in radians 0 1222 D d L where the rationale behind the seco... View full answer

blur-text-image
Question Has Been Solved by an Expert!

Get step-by-step solutions from verified subject matter experts

Step: 2 Unlock
Step: 3 Unlock

Document Format (1 attachment)

Word file Icon

2-P-L-O-D-P (223).docx

120 KBs Word File

Students Have Also Explored These Related Light and Optics Questions!