software laser

An optical laser works by bouncing photons back and forth

between two mirrors, one totally reflective and one partially

reflective. If the lasing material (usually a crystal) has

the right properties, photons scattering off the atoms in the

crystal will excite cascades of more photons, all in lockstep.

Eventually the beam will escape through the partially

reflective mirror.

One kind of sorcerer's apprentice mode involving bouncemessages can produce closely analogous results, with a

cascade of messages escaping to flood nearby systems. By

mid-1993 there had been at least two publicised incidents of

this kind.

[Jargon File]