China’s Laser Breakthrough Could Change Boat Engines Forever

A laser pulse. A bubble. A tiny object moves. Could the same physics ever propel a ship? Harbin researchers have experimentally moved microscopic particles with laser pulses delivered through an optical fiber. A separate 2024 numerical study explored small chambers that concentrate the resulting pressure pulse. What does the reported thousandfold improvement compare? How is impulse different from sustained thrust? Where do the electricity, cooling, noise and maintenance enter the calculation? We also examine a separate fiber-driven liquid jet, the historical battery-electric ferry Ampere, and conventional propulsion testing at MARIN and Kongsberg. #laserpropulsion #chinaboat