May the Fourth be With You

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

Happy Star Wars day! Over the decades, the Star Wars universe has expanded to gain the love and appreciation of millions around the world, and each year, the fandom celebrates the 4th of May as Star Wars day.

Most of the iconic scenes from the movies are those that incorporate mind-boggling futuristic tech… be it lightsaber duels, interstellar travel or the death star assault. Some of these gadgets have actually made scientists wonder whether their creation really is possible and perform experiments to answer the same.

We will be looking at the physics behind creating a death star and lightsaber

Death star

These are weapons capable of blasting entire planets out of the sky in mere seconds. The explosion caused should be powerful enough to overcome the planet’s gravitational force, and even though gravity is the weakest fundamental force, this requires huge amounts of energy. The required energy can be harnessed by using a process that also occurs deep inside the sun’s core – fusion. Presently, the closest we have come to produce such immense amounts of energy is using thermonuclear bombs.

The first step in thermonuclear bombs is the fission of Uranium-235 to release X-rays that strike lithium deuteride, the active substance of the hydrogen bomb. This then heats up to millions of degrees, causing another explosion of much greater magnitude. By stacking several layers of lithium deuteride, this reaction continues, and an explosive device of epic proportions can be constructed. Several of these launched at a celestial body simultaneously may have the power to completely destroy it, and this can be used as a defense mechanism against incoming asteroids or space debris.

So theoretically, the creation of a death star is possible, but it is hard to achieve with our current technical capabilities, and may be designed thousands of years into the future.

Lightsaber

The lightsaber is, by far, the most popular creation of the franchise. When the movie was released in the 1970s, this became one of the best-selling toys. But is it theoretically possible to create such weapons that are capable of slicing through reinforced steel? The first problem we encounter is that light travels infinitely. It cannot be discontinued midair which means the saber will keep going on forever. Secondly, light cannot be solidified. So the question arises- with our current advancements in technology, is there an alternative construct for this weapon?

Scientists have found that plasma, the fourth state of matter, can be used to design the saber. It is a super hot ionized gas and can reach temperatures that are high enough to slice through steel. Ionizing a gas will require a huge amount of electric current; so connecting high voltage electrodes can convert the gas to plasma. An electric field pulls positively-charged protons in the direction of the field and negatively-charged electrons in the opposite direction. Make the field strong enough and it will pull them apart and ionize the atom.

Plasma, consisting of charged particles moving at very high velocities can be manipulated by strong magnetic fields. By setting up magnetic field lines toroidally around the interior of the saber , the ions and electrons in the plasma are forced to travel tightly around these field lines, preventing them from escaping the vessel.

Therefore, it is possible to create a saber of some form with the current technology, however, the exact version found in the movies may only be possible with advances in the field of material sciences.

"In a dark place we find ourselves and a little more knowledge lights our way." ~ Yoda, Star Wars

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