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software laser: n. 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 bounce messages can
produce closely analogous results, with a cascade of
messages escaping to flood nearby systems. By mid-1993 there had been at
least two publicized incidents of this kind.
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