What Uber Spaceship Laser Cannons Would Actually Probably Look Like...

[Spacescifi]

I know glass lenses are shown at times in fiction because they are what real lasers in use already use... however, I think if you want an uber laser that has a virtually imdestructable laser lens you can, and must do better than solids.

Use a plasma lens. Yes plasma can be used as a lens to focus laser beams.... how I don't know. But I read online it has been done, and occasionally happens (albeit rarely) even in nature.

So, for those of you that actually know, what are the advantages/disadvantages of using a plasma lens for uber laser cannons instead of glass lens?

 

Advantages: Can increase power levels almost arbitraitly without destroying your lens, but will still need to shed the waste heat from effecting other ship systems by using reaction mass/radiation.

Disadvantages: Harder to do than glass lens and more energy costly too I think, since glass is passive but plasma control is an always active based system.

Edit: Actually some lasers have no lens right? But are'nt those the single use ones that blow up (bomb pumped X-ray lasers)?

Edited July 23 by Spacescifi

[farmerben]

I thought they used corundum

[Nuke]

watch some videos about euv machines used in semiconductor fabs. there are some impressive laser shenanigans are going on.

[magnemoe]

Google gave this an plasma lens for an petawatt laser. 
https://physics.aps.org/articles/v15/s16
Downside is that the lens will not last long who is don't matter for fusion but probably not optimal for weapons, the fusion laser does not have that much energy since the pulse is very short. 
One fun thing with lasers is that for an powerful one you will combine multiple laser generators. For an ship this give the option to either combine all lasers for an main gun or multiple secondary guns. 

 

[kerbiloid]

Uber with laser.

Spoiler