Although the exact details of lightsaber operation remain shrouded in mystery, the general technology is known. All the controls and components fit into a compact handle 24 to 30 centimeters long. When the Jedi activates the lightsaber, a tremendous charge of pure energy flows from the power cell. A series of multi-faceted jewels focus the energy into a tight parallel beam. The frequency of each saber blade can be calculated from its blade color and pitch it generates.
Sabers use between one and three jewels to give their beam a specific frequency.
Sabers with a single jewel have a fixed amplitude, which determines the blade length. Other sabers with multiple jewels can alter their amplitude, and thus the blade length by rotating or varying the separation between the jewels. The best sabers use natural jewels, but, evidently, the Jedi can forge synthetic jewels with a small furnace and a few basic elements. The beam emits from a positively charged continuous energy lens at the center of the handle. The beam then arcs circumferentially back to a negatively charged high energy flux aperture, usually set in a disk that also serves as a handguard.