On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 8:18 AM, Tim <tim@little-possums.net> wrote:
On Wed, Jun 25, 2014 at 04:35:14AM -0400, Richard Aiken wrote:
> The amount of relative movement over a microsecond - even at
> Traveller combat ranges, must less Savage Worlds combat ranges -
> would be very small.

That wouldn't seem to justify calling one of them a "pulse" laser and
the other one not.  They'd be both pulse lasers.

The difference is that one shot from a "100MGW Laser" consists of a single relatively-long pulse of 10 microseconds, whereas one shot from a "20MGW Pulse Laser" consists of 5 single-microsecond pulses, separated from each other by a single microsecond of no through-put.

If accuracy is sufficient to hold the same aim point for 10 microseconds, then the "Pulse Laser" should actually penetrate.

I think.
 
> And I'm assuming both of the weapons are firing a shot of the same
> overall (extremely short) length. My weapon capacitors/barrel
> materials simply can't support a long-duration beam.

I wouldn't expect there to be a huge difference if the average power
is similar.  If anything, packing the same energy into a shorter pulse
is likely to induce greater peak mechanical and electromagnetic stresses.

But it's not the same power. Not even close to it. Per shot, the "20MGW Pulse Laser" delivers one-fifth the through-put of the "100MGW Laser." That's is the reason for the "##MGW" part of their names.

--
Richard Aiken

"Never insult anyone by accident."  Robert A. Heinlein
"A word to the wise ain't necessary -- it's the stupid ones that need the advice." - Bill Cosby
"We know a little about a lot of things; just enough to make us dangerous." Dean Winchester