When a high power (megawatts) laser hits a surface, even a mirrored surface, the effect is more like a hammer than a reflection. This was studied extensively du

When a high power (megawatts) laser hits a surface, even a mirrored surface, the effect is more like a hammer than a reflection. This was studied extensively during the SDI program. Chrome plating missiles is, in the long term, ineffective; the beam transfers energy kinetically like a bullet, not through heating effects. That said, it might work for now against kilowatt lasers. Edit: an interesting and non-theoretical example of catastrophic optical damage is the "fiber fuse" effect: a spot of light burns its way along the length of a strand at about 1m/sec (destroying it as it goes). See this video (the narration is in Japanese): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVmIgaafERk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVmIgaafERk