Can lasers guide lightning strikes to a safe target?

In summary, researchers have found a way to safely direct lightning strikes using lasers. By creating a path of charged ions, they were able to guide the strikes towards a telecom tower on a Swiss mountain. The use of lasers also ensures the safety of pilots, as safeguards are in place to protect them from the beams. However, concerns have been raised about the potential misuse of this technology for destructive purposes.
  • #1
anorlunda
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I like this idea. Very creative, but in retrospect it sounds obvious. Just create a path of ionized atoms.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2023/01/lasers-used-to-guide-lightning-strikes-to-a-safe-target/
Lightning rods protect buildings by providing a low-resistance path for charges to flow between the clouds and the ground. But they only work if lightning finds that path first. The actual strike is chaotic, and there's never a guarantee that the processes that initiate it will happen close enough to the lightning rod to ensure that things will work as intended.

A team of European researchers decided they didn't like that randomness and managed to direct a few lightning strikes safely into a telecom tower located on top of a Swiss mountain. Their secret? Lasers, which were used to create a path of charged ions to smooth the path to the lightning rod.

image-800x533.jpg
 
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  • #2
I wonder what happens to the health and safety of pilots who glance at the lasers ?
 
  • #3
Baluncore said:
I wonder what happens to the health and safety of pilots who glance at the lasers ?
Good question. I expect that they couldn't operate them unless safeguards were in place to protect the pilots.
 
  • #4
anorlunda said:
Good question. I expect that they couldn't operate them unless safeguards were in place to protect the pilots.
Is that a real picture, or an artist's rendition? Why is there so much backscatter of the laser light in clear atmosphere? If the beam is truly that visible in clear air, there will be no pilots flying through it and looking right down at the source...
 
  • #5
By now, Nature too
41566_2022_1139_Fig2_HTML.png


Apparently, that's a real picture
random internet find
zw200721.jpg


Regarding the planes/pilots: since the laser comes from below, I don't think it's an issue. From that angle the pilot cannot look into the beam. Those incidents around airports are mostly about the low flying planes and lasers at low angles.
 
  • #6
So a Bond-villain's space lasers could direct lightning strikes onto specific targets? Please don't let some of our congress-persons hear about this.
 
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  • #7
Rive said:
Regarding the planes/pilots: since the laser comes from below, I don't think it's an issue. From that angle the pilot cannot look into the beam. Those incidents around airports are mostly about the low flying planes and lasers at low angles.
Helicopter pilots get a better view. The laser pointers that frequent airports do not usually generate high-power ionising radiation.
 
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FAQ: Can lasers guide lightning strikes to a safe target?

Can lasers guide lightning strikes to a safe target?

Yes, lasers can potentially guide lightning strikes to a safe target by ionizing a path through the air, which creates a conductive channel for the lightning to follow. This concept has been demonstrated in controlled experiments, but practical, large-scale implementation is still under research and development.

How do lasers create a path for lightning to follow?

Lasers can ionize the air by creating a plasma channel. When a high-intensity laser pulse is directed into the atmosphere, it strips electrons from the air molecules, creating a conductive path of ionized particles. This plasma channel can act as a guide for the lightning, directing it towards a desired target.

What are the potential applications of using lasers to guide lightning?

Potential applications include protecting critical infrastructure such as power plants, airports, and communication towers from lightning strikes. It could also be used to safeguard populated areas and reduce the risk of wildfires caused by natural lightning strikes. Additionally, it may have applications in scientific research and atmospheric studies.

What are the challenges in using lasers to guide lightning safely?

Challenges include the need for extremely high-powered lasers, the difficulty in precisely targeting and timing the laser pulses, and ensuring the safety and reliability of the system. Additionally, environmental factors such as weather conditions and atmospheric turbulence can affect the performance of the laser-guided system.

Are there any successful experiments or real-world implementations of this technology?

There have been successful laboratory experiments demonstrating the feasibility of using lasers to guide lightning. However, real-world implementations are still in the experimental stage. Research is ongoing to address the technical challenges and to develop practical systems that can be deployed in the field.

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