Science

A new method of lightning removal using a laser has been developed

14:20 17.01.2023 Science

A group of French, Swiss and German scientists from the University of Geneva, the Ecole Polytechnique and other research centers have developed a new lightning rod using a laser. This technology allows you to reflect lightning for tens of meters, even in bad weather. The findings of the work are described in the journal Nature Photonics.

Existing lightning rods are tall metal piles that are limited in size. For example, a ten meter structure will only be able to cover an area with a radius of ten meters. Because of this, there are certain difficulties in protecting objects over a large area, such as an airport or a nuclear power plant.

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A laser lightning rod creates channels of ionized air and directs lightning along its beam. In addition, the laser is able to expand upwards, which allows you to create the desired coverage area.

As a result of the experiments, a laser with a power of one kilowatt and one joule per pulse was used, which lasted a picosecond. It was tested on the top of Santi, which is located at an altitude of 2502 meters. The device was designed to protect a 124-meter telecommunications tower, which regularly suffers from lightning strikes. The laser was also equipped with special sensors and instruments for observing lightning.

After a year of data analysis, experts concluded that the discharge could follow the beam for almost 60 meters before reaching the tower, which means that the laser increased the radius of the protective surface from 120 to 180 meters. Moreover, such a lightning rod is able to work even in difficult weather conditions, for example, in fog.

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