What are Lightsabers and How Do They Work

Lightsaber is a fictional weapon which is used in the Star Wars universe. This weapon is about 1.33 meters in length and it appears to be made of light. There are various types of lightsabers such as electrum, curve-hilted, tonfa-style, wrist-hilt lightsabers, etc. Considering the blade length of the lightsaber, the weapon can be classified as short lightsaber and great lightsaber. There is one type of lightsaber called firesaber, which appears to burn with red flames on the surface of the blade. Lightsaber can cut through any object without any resistance but it can also be deflected by the force of another lightsaber. Let's now discuss on the components of lightsabers.

Components of Lightsabers and their Working

Diatium Power Cell
In the power cell, there will be a pack of diatium cells, which contain enormous amount of energy stored in them and it functions as the primary source of energy for the lightsaber. This diatium power cell is wired to the primary crystal mount and the focusing crystal is attached to the primary crystal mount. This is how the diatium cell powers the focusing crystal present in the lightsaber. The diatium power cell generally lasts for an indefinite period but sometimes, if the lightsaber goes into water or if the weapon is constantly kept in 'on' mode, there is a possible chance of short circuit and the lightsaber might lose its power. It is easy to change the power pack of the lightsaber than to replace the batteries, because the embedded design of the lightsaber is not designed in such a way that the batteries can be replaced often.

Function
Diatium power cell is placed between the power field conductor and power vortex ring. The combination of power field and power vortex ring helps the energy to flow in a particular path and the energy flow will be directed to the energy gate. The function of the energy gate is to regulate the amount of energy that is passed into the crystal energy chamber. Lightsabers are recharged by the plasma which is produced in the power cell.

Crystal Energy Chamber
This is a vital part of the lightsaber because, if some problem occurs in this chamber, it may lead to detonation of the device itself. This chamber consists of:

• Primary Crystal
• Focusing Crystal
• Focusing Crystal Activator

Function
Primary crystal which is connected to the battery force, channelizes the energy to flow into the focusing crystals, which are located in the focusing crystal activator. Crystal energy chamber is converted into arc wave which is finally converted into blade. The arc wave goes through the cycling field energizers and the final arc which comes out, becomes visible.

Controlling Mechanisms
The 'on/off' switch in the lightsaber is also known as the activation matrix. The blade length and power adjustment control knobs are placed near the cycling field energizers and these specs can be controlled by the lightsaber user, according to the requirements. While using the handle of lightsaber, one has to be very careful because the gyroscopic effect which is caused by the electric wave which is produced from the cyclic field is dangerous.

Double-bladed lightsaber is the most lethal weapon among all the lightsabers, because the arc/blade comes out from the handle in both directions and it is difficult to control the motion of the blade during the action. This type of lightsaber is made by attaching two lightsabers, back-to-back. The basic use of a lightsaber is to slice things. There are also other applications of lightsabers such as deflecting the blaster bolts, melting objects, sawing pipes, lighting cigarettes, etc. Surprisingly, you too can make a lightsaber. Lightsaber is a very dangerous weapon and it may be lethal to the user and also to others nearby. To conclude with, one of the famous quotes from Star Wars episode goes as - "This was the formal weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or random as a blaster. More skill than simple sight was required for its use. An elegant weapon. It was a symbol as well. Anyone can use a blaster or a fusioncutter - but to use a lightsaber well was a mark of someone a cut above the ordinary". ~ Obi-Wan Kenobi.