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From: jlg@lanl.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: Re: Tesla
Message-ID: <23494@lanl.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 19-Mar-85 19:49:53 EST
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Posted: Tue Mar 19 19:49:53 1985
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Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory
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> >It is my guess that the Tesla "Death Ray" was built around the formation
> >of St. Elmo fireballs under very high power at long dist.  One would think
> >that such a device would be easy to defeat and/or defend against.
> >
> >
> >Anyone have a guess as to what it might have been?
> >
> >
> 	My guess would be some sort of high-power laser.

There is no indication in the works of Tesla or in the reports of any of
his biographers that he had either the theoretical or the practical knowledge
required to build a laser.  Lasers only work because of quantum mechanics,
which Tesla had no knowledge of either.  Tesla was severly underrated in
his time, but this does not imply that he knew EVERYTHING.

J. Giles