Is this possible?

From William Gibson's "Burning Chrome":

"You're in luck. I got the new Smith and Wesson, the four-oh-eight Tactical. Got this xenon projector slung under the barrel, see, batteries in the grip, throw you a twelve inch high-noon circle in the pitch dark at fifty yards. The light source is so narrow, it's almost impossible to spot. It's just like voodoo in a nightfight."

Keeping in mind that this is sci-fi written back in the eighties, is this kind of thing going to be possible in the future? Just curious, I know nothing about use of light in combat.

Combine a tight focus lens like the Dr Asperlux with a 2x123 or 3x123 and it might work.

Brightnorm

Only if you get a completely dust-free (possibly gas-free?)interior and a perfectly clean exit lens. Even with a laser, you can usually see the dust and dirt on the exit window (quite apart from the non-laser light from the medium).
Or, to put it in another way - no, I don't think that's going to be possible (at least as long as we're staying inside an atmosphere).

Bye
Markus

If you combined a high quality multicoated lens with a long baffled snoot, you would kill nearly all spill light, but the result would be rather long unless you had a very small original source. It might be possible in another generation or two of LEDs.

David <><

He only said almost impossible to spot, so I think it is possible. Add a tube extending well beyond the exit lens -- it won't have to be very large in diameter since the spot is only 12" at 50 yards. No one who isn't very nearly in line with the beam will be able to see the exit lens.

The stealth version of the Photon II has a similar effect on a much smaller scale. There's a little tube enclosing the led, and if you walk around with it pointed downward to show your footing you're invisible to anyone who isn't very close to you.

-Cougar :{)

The Stylus has a similar plastic tube that goes over the the led and hides the light. I have visions of James Bond holding a Stylus in his mouth cracking a wall safe! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

Isn't the author basically describing a laser sight?