- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
- Messages
- 2,036
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- 48
"2057 - laser lightning "rods"
Very powerful lasers were known to induce lightning due to their ability to ionize air, but scientists were unable to create actual cloud-to-ground strikes until the mid-21st century.
Laser lightning "rods" are now being used to protect buildings and other important infrastructure. A sensor scans thunderclouds for highly charged areas, where the laser sends a short multi-terawatt pulse. This creates a plasma channel, triggering a lightning strike."
I think this is already being done (not commercially), I read an article about it a while ago.
Very powerful lasers were known to induce lightning due to their ability to ionize air, but scientists were unable to create actual cloud-to-ground strikes until the mid-21st century.
Laser lightning "rods" are now being used to protect buildings and other important infrastructure. A sensor scans thunderclouds for highly charged areas, where the laser sends a short multi-terawatt pulse. This creates a plasma channel, triggering a lightning strike."
I think this is already being done (not commercially), I read an article about it a while ago.