Plasma torch ≠ light saber
What's the difference? A laser plasma source instead of a chemical one?
well, aside the fact that we don't really know exactly what a lightsaber is (frozen light? contained plasma? magical glow stick?) there's all sorts of problems with it. A beam of plasma itself doesn't have the ability block things, doesn't behave like a sword. and neither does a laser. or anything else.
The closest might be an electric arc. (which, is a shit load of electricity flowing through a plasma channel.) Which, conceivably could be deformed sufficiently to create a blade-like shape... but that would take a shit load of power (as in... black out an entire city for a few minutes...level of power...) so putting that into a cylinder small enough to be hand held seems... er... explosive.
this would have the advantage that it touches would stick to it, get obscenely hot, and, uh, die. It wouldn't really "cut" anything though. it has the disadvantage of shorting out on anything conductive and connected to ground. Basically... you get hit with it and it dumps most or all of it's energy into you.... at least until you turn into vapor.
Once read a theoretical on how could a light saber be built.
The first concern was energy source. It implied developing an entirely new concept of super compact, super dense, super conductor based, nano scale batteries, capable of stories several gigawatts of power.
The concern was insulation and protection for the wielder. This demanded an entire class of materials, probably new kinds of ceramics, reinforced at the molecular level to withstand the pressure...
Of the third concern wich was forming and projecting the blade itself, for which was proposed a magnetic field contained, super condensed plasma beam, exuded through a series of nano tubes that would extend from the handles by the sheer pressure of the plasma.
So, in all good faith, sonething to aspire in the 500 or 600 years.
The first concern was energy source. It implied developing an entirely new concept of super compact, super dense, super conductor based, nano scale batteries, capable of stories several gigawatts of power.
Can't we just use kyber crystals? /s
As soon as we find them!
it isn't be able to do much because heat transfer into exactly too awesome, it doesn't act like a solid blade at all, and if a real lightsaber was made any skin it touched would explode due to rapid expansion of steaming blood
