Jakarta –
Have detikers ever thought of directing a strike lightning? For the first time, scientists can do this using laser shots.
In the study, published in the journal Nature Photonics, it is said that the demonstration was carried out on a mountain peak in Switzerland when lightning was rumbling.
The trial, which was carried out for several months last year, opened up opportunities for the use of lasers to protect flight activities, launch sites and high-rise buildings.
Quoted from The Guardian on Friday (20/1/2023), Aurelien Houard, a physicist at the Ecole Polytechnic, Paris, France, said that metal rods have been used to protect against lightning strikes. However, the area that can be protected is very limited, only a few meters or tens of meters.
“The hope is that we can increase the protection to a few hundred meters if we have enough laser energy,” he said.
Placing a Car-sized Laser Machine on Switzerland’s Mount Santis
Previously, a research team from the Ecole Polytechnic had shown how a laser could create a voltage of up to 2 million volts in a low density channel. To try out a bigger idea, the research team then placed a laser machine the size of a car near a tower on Mount Santis, Switzerland.
Well, the tower is known as the most frequently struck place lightning in Europe in a year, the range reaches up to 100 times strike.
When the storm lasts for six hours, the laser beam can control the direction of four lightning strikes. One of the lightning bolts that appears when the sky is clear enough was recorded using two high-speed cameras. The lightning was seen following the direction of the laser beam for at least 50 meters.
Laser Creates Path to Conduct Electrical Discharge
Lasers deflect lightning by creating an easier path for the discharge to flow. However, keep in mind that the laser is powerful enough to pose a risk to the eyes of pilots flying too high and during some trials, air traffic was closed over the test site.
Houard further said that a more powerful laser that operates at a different wavelength is able to guide lightning over a longer distance.
“Although this field research has been carried out for more than 20 years, this is the first field trial where results can be obtained from experiments directing lightning with a laser,” he said.
Professor Manu Haddad added that the cost of this laser system is quite high when compared to metal rods. However, lasers are becoming a better medium for aiming lightning.
Watch Video “Dozens of Houses in Manggarai, South Jakarta Burned Due to Lightning Strikes“
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