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Are you being harassed by lasers?

Sometimes people write to ILDA, who feel they are being attacked or harassed by persons using laser beams against them.

If it is clear that the attacker is using a laser, this would be a matter for authorities such as building security staff or police. In some cases, persons have been prosecuted for laser misuse. Some sample incident reports (mostly involving aircraft harassment) are here.

Some cases, however, are much more mysterious. There is no clear proof that a laser is being used. Below are two sample reports of mysterious "laser" use, and ILDA's response. This information may help others in similar situations.

Letter #1: Laser harassment 24/7

This was our response:

You described your eyes and face burning when in your front yard. It would take a very powerful and expensive laser to do this. A simple laser pointer would not be able to create heat on your skin at a long distance such as across a yard. The most powerful handheld laser currently available [summer 2010] is the 1-watt Wicked Laser Arctic. It can burn skin but at a very close distance, and the burn is very small such as the size of a pea or less.

You also stated that various surfaces were singed. Again, it would take a very, very powerful and VERY expensive laser to do this. It is very hard to imagine any use outside of military or police (riot control), and even these are exceedingly rare.

One way to tell if a laser is being used against you is to see if it only happens when you are in line with a window or similar opening to the outdoors. This is because walls will stop laser beams, but windows can let light through. (Of course, windows also let through sunlight and heat (infrared), so just being warm next to a window can be caused by normal, non-laser reasons.)

Both photos that you sent have a vertical line that goes through a strong light in the photo. This straight line is NOT a laser. It is an artifact of how some digital cameras work. If there is a light source that is too strong for the camera's digital chip, then all pixels in the same vertical line will be overwhelmed. This is called blooming. You can read more about blooming here and here.

One question I have for you is whether you have seen laser beams with your own eyes (not from a camera's video). I am guessing the answer is "no".

I do not want to say absolutely, positively 100% that there is no laser activity from your neighbor's house. The world is very large, and every now and then there are strange things. However, I am 99.999% sure that there is no laser activity from your neighbor's house. Certainly the photos you have sent depict the blooming effect that is very common on some digital camera chips. There is no doubt that what is in the photos is NOT laser. The other effects you state, such as heating and singeing, are highly, extremely unlikely to be caused by any type of laser that a residential person would have access to or could afford.

Letter #2: Lasers cause pinpoint holes

This was our response:

It is very difficult to use a laser to create holes at long range (more than a few yards or meters). It also requires a very expensive laser, to have enough power to make holes at long range. I would not know why someone would go to this trouble.

If what you are seeing is small, pinpoint holes, it is highly unlikely that these are from a laser aimed at a distance. Laser beams do spread out, even a little bit. For example, the beam at the aperture (output opening) of a powerful laser might be very small. This might be a few millimeters or up to 1/4" in diameters, and the edge of the hole would be sharp. At a house-to-house distance, the hole might be the size of a quarter at least, and the edges might be more ragged, with burn or scorch marks around the hole.

If a person is walking around with a hand-held laser (laser pointer or battery-powered laser), then they could get close enough to make small holes or burn marks. For a laser pointer, this takes a LOT of power and is expensive. I do not know why someone would do this. (If they wanted to cause trouble, there are a lot of ways that are more effective, much less expensive, and also hard-to-trace.)

It is possible for the laser beam to be invisible to our eyes. Infrared lasers have beams which we can't normally see. However, you can use a camcorder to try to see these beams. To try this, point the camcorder at an infrared remote control, which are very common for TVs, etc. When you press a button on the remote control, you should see a light flash in the camcorder viewfinder (but not with your eyes). If your camcorder can see the infrared light, then you should be able to see infrared laser beams using the camcorder's viewfinder or fold-out monitor.

If someone is using a laser in the way you describe, this is illegal. It is damaging your property, cruelty to animals, and assault & battery. You could call the police -- but you should be sure that you really do have evidence.

For your own sensations of burning, you may also want to consult a doctor or do research on the Internet. There are some conditions where you may experience burning due to something internal in your body.

What to do if you are being harassed

If you are being attacked by obvious lasers (you see someone holding a pen or flashlight-like object, and you can see the laser beam or laser "dot"), contact local authorities or the police if necessary. Simple harassment -- a beam on your skin or clothes -- is probably not punishable unless it continues or occurs during a critical situation such as driving. Deliberate aiming at your head or eyes is serious due to the unlikely but possible potential for causing eye damage. (For more on eye damage, see this information on how much laser power it takes to cause eye injuries. A partial list of laser incidents which have led to arrests is here.)

If you feel you're being attacked by non-obvious lasers, first consider all the non-laser explanations for what you are experiencing. For example, plants can turn brown due to many factors other than laser beams. Also, consult your doctor or do an Internet search since there can be medical conditions that cause localized and/or intermittent feelings of being hot. If you really want to pursue this, get photographic and/or video evidence if at all possible. Ideally this would be pictures of the beams or the laser "dot", and also pictures of any damage.