Laser-Powered Lightning Rods May Shoot Lightning from the Sky

First Posted: Sep 25, 2015 07:47 AM EDT
Close

Imagine shooting lightning out of the sky with the help of lasers. That's exactly what researchers are aiming for. They've created new techniques that bring lasers as lightning rods closer to reality.

When a powerful laser beam shoots through the air, it ionizes the molecules, leaving a thin trail of hot, ionized particles in its wake. Because this stream of plasma conducts electricity, it could be used to channel away a potentially damaging lightning bolt.

In this latest study, the researchers found ways to make the length of such a plasma channel reach more than 10 times longer. This is a necessary advance for using the channel to redirect a lightning strike.

The researchers actually created a channel of plasma by firing a powerful laser that produces a pulse lasting a fleeting 100 femtoseconds (one femtosecond is 10 to 15 seconds). The issue is that the resulting plasma stream, which is 100 microns in diameter, lasts only about three nanoseconds. After that time, the plasma cools off, the electrons recombine with the atoms and the channel disappears.

In order to extend the lifetime of the plasma channel, the researchers shot another laser whose beam overlaps the plasma. The secondary laser, which produces 10-nanosecond bursts, keeps the plasma hot and prevents the electrons from recombining so quickly, extending the longevity of the plasma channel by more than a factor of 10.

In theory, the longer life could extend the length of the plasma channel, which stretches for only about a meter. The next step now is to produce a plasma channel that's great in both lifetime and in length, which may just bring lasers a bit closer to becoming the lightning rods of the future.

The findings were presented at the Optical Society's annual meeting and conference in California.

Related Stories

Quantum Physics: Researchers Set New Record for Quantum Teleportation

Lasers Levitate Glowing Nanodiamonds in a Vacuum in New Physics Experiment

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

©2017 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics