The laser lightning rod project

Lightning is highly destructive due to its high power density and unpredictable character. Directing lightning away would allow to protect sensitive sites from its direct and indirect impacts (electromagnetic perturbations). Up to now, lasers have been unable to guide lightning efficiently since the...

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Published inEuropean physical journal. Applied physics Vol. 93; no. 1; p. 10504
Main Authors Produit, Thomas, Walch, Pierre, Herkommer, Clemens, Mostajabi, Amirhossein, Moret, Michel, Andral, Ugo, Sunjerga, Antonio, Azadifar, Mohammad, André, Yves-Bernard, Mahieu, Benoît, Haas, Walter, Esmiller, Bruno, Fournier, Gilles, Krötz, Peter, Metzger, Thomas, Michel, Knut, Mysyrowicz, André, Rubinstein, Marcos, Rachidi, Farhad, Kasparian, Jérôme, Wolf, Jean-Pierre, Houard, Aurélien
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published EDP Sciences 17.02.2021
Subjects
Optics
Physics
Femtosecond lasers
Filamentation laser
Nonlinear optics
Lightning protection
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Summary:Lightning is highly destructive due to its high power density and unpredictable character. Directing lightning away would allow to protect sensitive sites from its direct and indirect impacts (electromagnetic perturbations). Up to now, lasers have been unable to guide lightning efficiently since they were not offering simultaneously terawatt peak powers and kHz repetition rates. In the framework of the Laser Lightning Rod project, we develop a laser system for lightning control, with J-range pulses of 1 ps duration at 1 kHz. The project aims at investigating its propagation in the multiple filamentation regime and its ability to control high-voltage discharges. In particular, a field campaign at the Säntis mountain will assess the laser ability to trigger upward lightning.
ISSN:1286-0042
1286-0050
DOI:10.1051/epjap/2020200243