Chinese scientists claim to have made a breakthrough in a real-life “Death Star” energy beam weapon, according to reports.
The new high-powered microwave weapon combines many small electromagnetic waves to make one large focused laser beam — much like the Death Star from “Star Wars,” which destroyed planets by firing a particle beam comprised of several smaller sources.
new microwave technology developed in China. ©Walt Disney Co./courtesy Everett / Everett Collection
The breakthrough is in the process of “ultra-high time precision synchronization,” which permits the beams from joining together and focusing on a single location, according to the South China Morning Post.
The Chinese research team is now able to generate precision amongst the smaller lasers that exceed the accuracy of atomic clocks, according to the Independent.
The time separation between the smaller lasers cannot exceed 170 picoseconds — or trillionths of a second, according to scientists, the South China Morning Post reported.
Researchers were able to achieve this result with the help of optical fibers.
That massive technological development — made possible due to the use of optical fibers — has allowed the weapon system to pass military testing, according to the outlet.
Chinese officials say that the weapon can be used to suppress the signals of American GPS and other satellites, according to the South China Morning Post.
Remarkably, the team of scientists claims that the combined power of the beams could be greater than the sum of the individual beams, the Independent reported.
These weapons are meant for use in space — not land, naval or atmospheric functions, the outlet added.
China has long coveted energy weapons.
Last year it was revealed that the Chinese government was developing a “brain-disrupting” weapon. The program was created to target military and government officials from foreign countries.
A senior fellow at the National University of Singapore East Asian Institute said the weapons can damage and even control the brains of mammals.
The Communist nation once also produced a prototype laser assault rifle that was able to incinerate a target from a half-mile away.