00:04Since we were kids and first saw Luke Skywalker wield one in Star Wars, no doubt all of us have
00:09dreamt of owning a lightsaber. But despite advances in lasers, we still don't have laser swords. But
00:15scientifically speaking, is it even possible? Science Alert reports that lightsabers would
00:19likely have to be plasma, or ionized streams of gas that form a circuit with whatever they're
00:23cutting. We know that plasma streams can boast temperatures upwards of 36,000 degrees Fahrenheit,
00:28but because it needs to complete a circuit, plasma can't cut non-conductive things like wood,
00:33or the arms of aliens. Not to mention you would need a tank for all of the ionized gas. There
00:40has
00:40been some recent research into iodine pellets as an alternative. A volatile material would
00:44converse directly into a gas, but it hardly burns hot enough to cut like a lightsaber. Of course,
00:49we do have laser technology, even powerful ones made for cutting. But could a laser sword ever
00:53stop another laser sword of similar make? Based on particle physics, there are some conditions
00:58where light photons might collide rather than exchange electrons, theoretically stopping one
01:02another. But could that be manipulated to build a lightsaber? The only answer is we pretty much have
01:07no idea.
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