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Alas, young Skywalker, are the ready-made signature lightsabers and DIY varieties not satisfying enough for your role-playing entertainment? As tantalizing an idea as a fully functioning lightsaber might be, there are critical physics hurdles that even the most brilliant imaginations can't overcome -- first and foremost being the nature of light. Assuming your lightsaber would incorporate a kind of laser beam technology, could the saber have a tip, since light waves don't just stop but
keep going? Such a device is more likely to bore a hole through the living room furniture than function like a luminous sword. There's a quandary. Also, following the physical rules set up by the Star Wars movies, a genuine lightsaber would cast a shadow, which laser beams can't do. Next is the "saber" or sword-like quality desired of such a weapon. We all remember the sights and sounds of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader's clashing swordplay with sharp clarity. Could that be reproduced with laser beams? Well, no, it can't. This intriguing Canadian site says any slightly plausible design would have serious usability flaws, like a reliable power source for the super-hot lasers, the incorporation of cumbersome refraction
devices to regulate the laser intensity, and the need to avoid any and all reflective surfaces (lest the light bounce back and fry your face). So now that we've busted all your Jedi dreams of a real lightsaber, are there any possibilities for futuristic weaponry left? There is a dim ray of hope in the form of a plasmasaber. Plasma is a state of matter that radiates a lot of visible light and heat, and contains magnetically repellent properties desired of a lightsword. While plasma's properties may make it better suited than lasers for a hypothetical weapon, any plasma weapon built today would resemble more a Sherman tank than a lightweight handheld weapon.
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