Scientists use a weather-controlling super laser to divert lightning strikes

 By Study Finds

January 16, 2023

                                     France's PARIS — French researchers have developed a method for deflecting lightning strikes using a super laser that regulates the weather.

The Polytechnic Institute of Paris' researchers directed thundercloud hits to locations with less harm. According to the scientists, the novel method may prevent tragedy at power plants, airports, launch pads, and other structures.

A virtual lightning rod is produced by the system, consisting of metal conductors that catch flashes and direct their currents into the earth.

According to a release from SWNS, corresponding author Dr. Aurelien Houard adds that the discoveries "expand the present understanding of laser physics in the atmosphere and may contribute in the development of innovative lightning protection measures."

The five-ton apparatus shoots up to a thousand pulses per second and is about the size of a huge vehicle. The researchers placed it next to a communications tower in the Swiss Alps, which experiences lightning strikes around 100 times a year.

According to Dr. Houard, a strong laser pointed at the sky can act as a fictitious lightning rod and change the direction of lightning strikes. The results might lead to improved lightning protection strategies for vital infrastructure, including power plants, airports, and launch pads.

As part of his revolutionary investigation into electricity, Benjamin Franklin created lightning rods in 1752, and they are still in use today. However, installing them is frequently not feasible. They can result in electromagnetic interference and voltage spikes in gadgets and appliances, and they only battle the immediate impacts of lightning strikes.

Dr. Houard says, "A laser beam pointed towards the sky might offer an alternative, acting as a virtual, moving rod.

The laser may stop damage worth billions of dollars.

In-depth laser pulses have been used in the past to direct lightning strikes in controlled laboratory settings. However, there had never been any field testing that showed lasers could guide lightning. Last summer, Dr. Houard and his associates conducted a number of studies on Mount Santis in northern Switzerland.

They noticed the laser changing the path of four upward lightning discharges from the 400-foot-tall tower during its six hours of operation during thunderstorms. The results were confirmed by pinpointing the lightning hits using high-frequency electromagnetic radiation.

According to Dr. Houard, "increased X-ray burst detection at the moment of the impacts also demonstrated successful directing." High-speed cameras immediately captured one of the impacts, which was shown to follow the laser path for more than 50 metres.

One of the most potent in its class and the first of its type, the trillion-Watt laser described in Nature Photonics.

Massive amounts of damage may be caused by lightning. It can result in power outages and forest fires, harm infrastructure and technological devices, and potentially endanger or kill people and animals. Every year, it causes billions of dollars worth of harm. Future lightning damage is likely to rise as a result of climate change and the resulting increase in storm frequency and intensity.

Therefore, employing lasers to redirect lightning might aid in securing exposed areas like airports, forests, skyscrapers, and power plants. To reach the clouds, the laser creates a long, ionised conduit known as a laser filament. It serves as a preferred route for the lightning, diverting it from dangerous areas.

According to co-author Dr. Clemens Herkommer of Trumpf Scientific Lasers, "by firing a thousand laser pulses per second into the clouds, we can safely discharge the lightning and make the planet a little bit safer."

When should lightning strikes be taken seriously?

Santis is regarded as one of Europe's lightning hotspots, with the most of the action occurring between May and August, when storm activity is at its highest.

Since the beginning of time, lightning has both captivated and frightened humans, according to Dr. Houard.

According to satellite data, there are between 40 and 120 flashes of lightning every second globally, including cloud-to-ground and cloud lightning, which results in significant property damage and fatalities. Over 4,000 lightning-related deaths have been officially reported, and annual lightning damage costs billions of dollars.

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