Solar "Death Ray": Power of 5000 suns!
Why Physics Stack Exchange recommends it
Physics Stack Exchange users link it as a concrete example when discussing how far sunlight can be concentrated, what temperature a focal spot can reach, and whether flat mirrors can focus light.
Recommended by 0 people across 0 different months, 2011 to 2014.
What it is
A short demo of the R5800, a homemade solar concentrator built by gluing about 5800 small mirror tiles onto a fiberglass satellite dish. It focuses sunlight to a dime-sized spot at roughly 5000 times normal intensity, enough to melt steel and burn through concrete. The creator, Eric Jacqmain, also lists his area-ratio calculations and power estimates in the description.
What people said
Cites BjornW · 2011-06 · Physics Stack Exchange · on “Focusing Light with Flat Mirrors”
For an example, take a look at this guy who glued 5000 flat mirrors onto a satellite dish to "start a fire", and some more :) Ironically, it was destroyed in an unrelated fire accident later... Solar Death ray with 5000 flat 1x1 cm mirrors [this video] The R5800 is my latest and greatest solar creation. Made from an ordinary fiberglass satellite dish, it is covered in about 5800 3/8" (~1cm) mirror tiles. When properly aligned, it can generate a spot the size of a dime with an intensity of 5000 times normal daylight. This intensity of light is more than enough to melt steel, vaporize aluminum, boil concrete, turn dirt into lava, and obliterate any organic material in an instant. It stands at 5'9"
Cites Alan Rominger · 2011-08 · Physics Stack Exchange · on “Physics of Focusing a Laser”
The temperature that a solar death ray [this video] can produce is limited due to the solid angle of the sun itself. Entropic arguments dictate that you can't focus the sun's light to create temperatures higher than the sun's surface, and sure enough, the size of the dot where its focused can't be minimized beyond a certain limit. Lasers offer a very potent beam of light, but it would seem to me that it is also highly organized beam of light, since all of the photons in the beam are traveling in very nearly the same direction. Question: Let's say that I have a laser beam of some given power that starts with some diameter $D_o$ at the point of emission and increases to $D_f$ at some distance $r$ a
Cites kenorb · 2014-10 · Physics Stack Exchange · on “What temperature is achieved in focus point by 5000 flat 1x1cm mirrors onto a satellite dish?”
There is this video [this video] ("R5800 Solar Death Ray") where teenager built a 5000 mirror device which concetrates the solar rays which is showing the potency of the mosaic method of concentrating sunlight using elliptical dish. It can fire the wood, boil the water in seconds, melt an aluminum, glass or even burn the whole in concrere or rock. What is the approximate maximum temperature (could be a range) is achieved by this mirror device in its focus point on sunny day? The R5800 solar concentrator, replaced by the new R23k, is made from an ordinary fiberglass satellite dish. It is covered in about 5800 3/8" (~1cm) mirror tiles. When properly aligned, it can generate a spot the size of a dim