either the dumbest question or an actual good one.

[burro breath]

So this might sound like a stupid question but if we can achieve all the colors of the visible spectrum with high grade optics and beam combineders why can we make a black laser beam?

 

[StardustSprinkles]

Black = no light. Laser = light. With current tech there's quite a few wavelengths available, I'd say research funding and necessity to have a laser of every single visible wavelength are the only thing holding us back.

 

[bennett326]

what i understand true black is when no light is reflected of the surface/ materiel
that would mean you cant make black with light.

some one correct me if i am wrong

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

what i understand true black is when no light is reflected of the surface/ materiel
that would mean you cant make black with light.

some one correct me if i am wrong

No, that's exactly correct.

Black = the absence of light = no light = no color.

"Black laser" is really an oxymoron if you think about it.

What might be theoretically possible is mimicking the appearance of what we perceive to be black... but I don't think we'll ever see a pointer like that

Would be pretty cool if there were "void pointers" though

 

[Ablaze]

Black = impossible (without some kind of military grade wave cancellation effect, which would be ridiculous)
Brown = difficult (it would require several lasers combined together)

 

[xmas one]

808nm

 

[LaZeRz]

That is IR and therefor invisible. Not black.

 

[aryntha]

Every once in a while this seems to come up. It really counfounds me. Has anyone seen a 'black lightbulb", "black LED", "black spotlight", etc; has anyone ever seen "black light"? (And I do not mean UV.)

I just get amazed that this comes up so regularly.. the idea of something that could "cast shadows" actively, basically "emit shadows" There is no such thing as black light.... Very odd...

 

[LaZeRz]

Well, bobhaha pwned everyone with the wave cancellation theory in that other thread.

 

[Ablaze]

The wave cancellation theory would never work unless you had a completely static or controlled environment. Reason: any changes to the environment could only be transmitted back to the light source at the speed of light, and even the slightest variant between the modeled environment and the actual environment would produce more apparent light rather than less.

Plus there's this little thing called Heisenberg's uncertainty principal that starts being relevant at those scales.

 

[Cyparagon]

I think you mean Heisenberg's uncertainty popsicle.

 

[BShanahan14rulz]

step 1: static environment complete :beer:

BTW, I have modified all my lasers to include various constructive AND destructive interference attributes. Yeah, that's right, all of MY lasers exhibit wave cancellation

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

I think you mean Heisenberg's uncertainty popsicle.

:crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup::crackup: Nicely done:beer:

 

[bobhaha]

Well, bobhaha pwned everyone with the wave cancellation theory in that other thread.

Wow you read back that far?? That was back in 2009 wasn't it? :gj:

@BShanahan14rulz Man that's fking trippy... What is that??

 

[Lotus_Darkrose]

The closest I've gotten is just an eye trick in a really dark room. My Incendio V3 XP-G with the diffuser in the following picture pointed at a wall.

 

[JaiNobeZ]

I first saw this question asked by Dr Suess in his book "The Cat's Quizzer"

The question was:
If you can get Flash-LIGHTS for when it's too dark, can you get Flash-DARKS for when it's too bright?