How a Light Saber Works
I think basing it on light is a mistake. I much prefer the solid core construction idea, with either a thin layer of plasma and/or a highly excited core material.<p>I re-watched Star Wars Episode 1 recently, and, as soon as the first lightsaber showed up on screen, I felt like a kid again. The movie is still terrible, and should be excluded from the series[1]. But, there is just something about watching space samurai, with light-up swords, that made me spend the next three hours imagining how to build something like it.<p>[1] <a href="http://static.nomachetejuggling.com/machete_order.html" rel="nofollow">http://static.nomachetejuggling.com/machete_order.html</a>