Photovoltaics are electric.

[Green Xenon [Radium]]

On Nov 30, 8:22 pm, "James Sweet" <jamessw...@hotmail.com> wrote in
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.lasers/msg/51fdffefbd317a68 :

> The best photovoltaics still have
> abysmal efficiency.

Um, photovoltaics are also electric. I am thinking of not needing
electric power at all. Instead of using electricity, use 400 nm laser
light. So photovoltaics are totally out of the question.

I would like the 400 nm laser should be pumped by aneutronic fusion. The
lasing medium should be some kind of rare-earth crystal. The light
energy emitted from the aneutronic fusion should cause the atoms in the
rare-earth crystal to emit 400 nm light after exciting the electrons in
those atoms. When photons resulting from the fusion energy are released,
they hit the atoms in the rare-earth crystal. This causes electrons in
those atoms to initially move to a higher-energy state, then from the
higher-energy state back to the lower-energy state. When the electrons
move from higher-energy to lower-energy state in the crystal's atoms,
they cause those atoms to emit 400 nm light. The laser has two mirror,
one with specs of silver, the other without. The 400 nm photons will
leave the half-silvered mirror. The laser then emits 400 nm light.

[Dave Bell]

On the laser end, all well and good, stipulating the concept works.
I think the comment was directed to the user's end of the distribution
chain: What do you do to utilize the 400 nM energy delivered to your
house? Certainly, one way would be to stimulate fluorescence and produce
visible light, but what about heat, appliance power, etc.?

[Green Xenon [Radium]]

Dave Bell wrote:

> What do you do to utilize the 400 nM energy delivered to your
> house? Certainly, one way would be to stimulate fluorescence and produce
> visible light, but what about heat, appliance power, etc.?

To make white light, stimulate fluorescence. As for heat, 400 nm light
of sufficient intensity can produce sufficient heat for any task. It is
possible that these lasers could also be used -- to some extent -- for
cooling, though this would only work on certain substances. Google
"laser cooling".

Computers and similar devices can be made purely optical. Instead of
electronic, they are photonic. Light becomes the source of power as well
as data.

As for motive power, there are certain proteins that change shape when
exposed to light. Perhaps contractile proteins -- similar to those found
in our muscles -- could be constructed in such a way that they would
contract and relax in a manner analogous to the intensity of the blue
light they are exposed to. Muscle cells from donors could be
bioengineered so that they respond solely to 400 nm light by changing
their contractile state. Photoreceptors engineered from retina could be
attached to the muscle cells. When light is shined onto the
photoreceptors, photochemical protein-based process could be engineered
such that excitant-proteins will be released into the muscle cells
causing them to contract. When the light is removed, then the lack of
excitation in the photoreceptors trigger the release of
relaxant-proteins which will relax the muscle cells.