In an exciting scientific article posted over at Space.com, scientists in Norfolk, Virginia are experimenting with technology similiar to that which would allow force fields and cloaking. Here's how lead scientist Mounir Laroussi describes the possibilities of 'tuned plasma.' "In theory, a plasma could deflect a particle beam or laser attack," Laroussi says. "It depends on what you’re shooting at it and how high you can tune the plasma frequency. That doesn’t mean it’s easy or practically achievable, particularly with a cold plasma. It’s a tough requirement to meet at present." Also very possible is the idea of using plasma to cloak by deflection or absorbtion. Here's what Laroussi had to say: With the proper adjustments, a plasma can be made into a kind of energy mirror, reflecting back or away incoming electromagnetic waves, such as those emitted from ground-based radars. In essence, any spacecraft outfitted with this kind of plasma field would be completely cloaked from the probing attentions of radar operators. "The idea is to deflect or absorb the energy completely," Laroussi said. "If you absorb the energy --- completely dissipating it within the plasma --- the radar doesn’t see anything. Nothing reflects back." Truly this is very exciting. Just more proof that many of the technologies we see on Star Trek are not quite as out-of-this-world as we may have once believed. To read the entire article, follow this link. Return to news Page | Comment on this @ the SFI Forums