According to a report published in the journal Nature Photonics, a high-intensity laser aimed at the sky
The most famous type of lightning rod todayday is “Franklin’s rod.” This is an electrically conductive metal mast that intercepts lightning strikes and directs them safely to the ground. Such lightning rods also belong to the “rod and coil” type. They work by attracting and conducting electrical charges from thunderstorms to the ground. They are placed on top of a building or other structure and are equipped with wires that connect the rod and the grounding system.
When a thunderstorm approaches, electric chargesthunderclouds are attracted to a pointed rod, which acts as a conductor. They are then safely transmitted through the wire to ground, reducing the risk of damage from a lightning strike.
Using lasers as lightning rodsis a theoretical concept that is still being researched. The idea is that a powerful laser beam can be directed into the atmosphere to ionize the path that lightning should follow, essentially “directing” the lightning to a specific location where it can be safely grounded. The concept is based on the principles of laser breakdown, where a high-intensity laser beam creates a plasma channel in a gas, which then conducts electricity.
Up to this point, intense laser pulsesused to direct lightning strikes in a laboratory setting. As part of a new study, scientists conducted field experiments in northeastern Switzerland. They used a huge laser that produces up to 1,000 pulses per second. It was placed next to a communications tower; It is struck by lightning 100 times a year.
For six hours of work during a thunderstormactivity, the laser changed the trajectory of four ascending lightning discharges. The high-frequency electromagnetic waves created by lightning strikes were used by scientists to pinpoint strikes to confirm the observations.
Detection of strong X-ray flaresduring the strikes also confirmed successful lightning guidance. High-speed cameras recorded one of the impacts, which, as it later turned out, followed the laser path for more than 50 meters.
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Cover photo: Nature Photonic