Cecil Moore wrote:

Jim Kelley wrote:

So according to your theory I can take a 1 watt laser, split the beam
into two coherent beams, recombine the beams in-phase together along
the same path thus creating constructive interference, and obtain 2
watts of laser power. Or would it be 4 watts?


If it were total constructive interference, two 1/2W
beams would yield an intensity of 2 watts. Of course,
at another location, total destructive interference
would have to occur where the intensity was zero.

And so that's your explanation for how 2 Joules per second can be
obtained from a source which is in fact producing only 1 Joule per
second.

As I said before, this ain't rocket science.

That is for damn sure. :-)

Jim AC6XG