9 ms·

You're getting downvoted because you don't explain enough in your one line post.

• ganzuul 7y ago
  That is a poor reason to downvote. There exists a metastable isotope of hafnium which is able to undergo stimulated emission, producing gamma ray laser light. There was some controversy of wheter x-rays could also stimulate this emission but that isn't a prerequisite for light amplificafion in this case. Gamma ray optics is difficult because of the short wavelengths but refraction has been demonstrated at very oblique angles. Fiber optics also has very oblique angles for its total internal reflection. Doped fiber lasers is a well-know field with lots of industrial application. Producing metastable hafnium can be done with e.g. a cyclotron. It is not very efficient, but for an extreme existential threat it is probably not insurmountable. Hafnium produced in this way could be used a nuclear bomb which isn't actually regulated by treaties, so there is even more controversy to navigate than just that from academia. There is no neutron flux between nuclei. All the energy is stored in the metastable structure inside the nuclei. Unlike regular fiber lasers there would be no pumping once the fiber is installed. Instead it would come pre-charged and be single-use. Its shelf-life isn't indefinite.