Re: New basis for Hyper-sensitive mic

["Mike Feldman" gidney_n_cloyd]

Syd Curtis wrote:

> ... New Scientist magazine Issue of 30 Sept 2006, p 29:
>
>     "California inventor David Schwartz has filed a patent (US 2006/01823=
00)
> on a hyper-sensitive microphone.  Instead of using sound waves to force a
> heavy diaphragm to move, it fires a laser beam through a volume of moist
> air.  Incoming sound waves make water droplets in the air vibrate, which
> modifies the laser beam's strength in sync with the sound - in other word=
s
> making it act as a microphone."

Water droplets?  That implies saturated air.  And the odd passing cosmic
ray might be able to induce the formation of water droplets for you ...
sounds like a cloud chamber to me, but then I never bothered to listen
to a cloud chamber.

-- Mike