Lightning rods are used for safe guiding lightning bolts to the ground since the time of Benjamin Franklin, but their short range (about the same radius as their height) and fixed design make them ineffective for protection large areas.
Η technology εδώ μπορεί ίσως να τα αντικαταστήσει σε ορισμένες περιπτώσεις. Ευρωπαίοι ερευνητές δοκίμασαν με επιτυχία ένα σύστημα που χρησιμοποιεί terawatt level laser pulses to direct lightning to the ground. It is not limited by its natural height and can cover much wider areas while penetrating clouds and fog.
"The experiment was carried out on Mount Santis in north-eastern Switzerland", he says the Washington Post. "A 124-meter communications tower there is equipped with a lightning rod, and it gets struck about a hundred times a year."
The new project ionizes nitrogen and oxygen molecules, releasing electrons and creating a plasma that conducts electricity. As the laser fired at a very fast 1.000 pulses per second, it is much more likely to intercept the lightning as it forms.
At essay, conducted between June and September 2021, the lightning followed the beam for almost 70 meters before being driven to the ground.
The findings were published in the journal Nature photonics. A video of the work of scientists has also published on YouTube.