Liquid Lasers Challenge Fiber Lasers as the Basis of Future High-Energy Weapons

This article explores how instead of laser weapons, a new liquid laser could be the mechanism to shoot down missiles in the near future. Liquid lasers are similar to solid-state lasers, but they use a cooling liquid that flows into channels inserted into the solid-state laser material. According to this article, this ensures that the cooling liquid has a refractive index the same as the solid laser material—which is a crucial technique. It is also important to avoid reflection or refraction in the cooling liquid to make the fluid smoothly flow through the channels to prevent turbulence. In return, this device promises to be compact and comparatively light.