Scientists Use Laser to Redirect Lightning Strikes
2023-01-21
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1Scientists said this week that they used a high-powered laser to change the direction of lightning strikes for the first time.
2The laser was aimed at the sky atop Mount Santis in northeastern Switzerland.
3Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge between a cloud and the ground, within a cloud or between clouds.
4It kills thousands of people and causes billions of dollars of damage to communication systems, power lines, and equipment each year.
5American inventor Benjamin Franklin first invented the lightning rod in the 1750s.
6That technology is still used today but can protect only a small area.
7Scientists say the new device, called Laser Lightning Rod (LLR), could increase protection by extending the height of rods hundreds of meters.
8With further development, LLR could improve protection for important places such as power stations and airports.
9Workers brought the equipment to the top of Mount Santis at 2,500 meters by helicopter and gondola.
10The laser is the size of a large car and weighs more than 2,700 kilograms.
11It was aimed at the sky above a 124-meter Swisscom telecommunications tower, one of Europe's structures most affected by lightning.
12The laser works by creating a beam of electrically charged particles called ions.
13The ions attract lightning, just as a metal lightning rod does.
14In experiments during the summer of 2021, the LLR sent strong laser pulses 1000 times per second.
15The laser redirected all four lightning strikes that happened during the laser's operation.
16"We demonstrate for the first time that a laser can be used to guide natural lightning," said physicist Aurelien Houard of Ecole Polytechnique's Laboratory of Applied Optics in France.
17He is the coordinator of the Laser Lightning Rod project and lead writer of the research published in the journal Nature Photonics.
18Houard said that 10 to 15 years more work would be needed before the Laser Lightning Rod can enter common use.
19One worry is avoiding airplanes in flight.
20In fact, air traffic in the area was stopped when the researchers used the laser.
21"Indeed, there is a potential issue using the system with air traffic in the area because the laser could harm the eyes of the pilot if he crosses the laser beam and looks down," Houard said.
22I'm Andrew Smith.
1Scientists said this week that they used a high-powered laser to change the direction of lightning strikes for the first time. The laser was aimed at the sky atop Mount Santis in northeastern Switzerland. 2Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge between a cloud and the ground, within a cloud or between clouds. It kills thousands of people and causes billions of dollars of damage to communication systems, power lines, and equipment each year. 3American inventor Benjamin Franklin first invented the lightning rod in the 1750s. That technology is still used today but can protect only a small area. 4Scientists say the new device, called Laser Lightning Rod (LLR), could increase protection by extending the height of rods hundreds of meters. With further development, LLR could improve protection for important places such as power stations and airports. 5Workers brought the equipment to the top of Mount Santis at 2,500 meters by helicopter and gondola. The laser is the size of a large car and weighs more than 2,700 kilograms. It was aimed at the sky above a 124-meter Swisscom telecommunications tower, one of Europe's structures most affected by lightning. 6The laser works by creating a beam of electrically charged particles called ions. The ions attract lightning, just as a metal lightning rod does. 7In experiments during the summer of 2021, the LLR sent strong laser pulses 1000 times per second. The laser redirected all four lightning strikes that happened during the laser's operation. 8"We demonstrate for the first time that a laser can be used to guide natural lightning," said physicist Aurelien Houard of Ecole Polytechnique's Laboratory of Applied Optics in France. He is the coordinator of the Laser Lightning Rod project and lead writer of the research published in the journal Nature Photonics. 9Houard said that 10 to 15 years more work would be needed before the Laser Lightning Rod can enter common use. One worry is avoiding airplanes in flight. In fact, air traffic in the area was stopped when the researchers used the laser. 10"Indeed, there is a potential issue using the system with air traffic in the area because the laser could harm the eyes of the pilot if he crosses the laser beam and looks down," Houard said. 11I'm Andrew Smith. 12Will Dunham wrote this report for Reuters. Andrew Smith adapted it for VOA Learning English. 13__________________________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15laser -n. a narrow beam of concentrated light used for special purposes 16rod -n. a rigid piece of material in the form of a thin bar 17gondola -n. a car suspended under a moving cable, used to transport people and equipment 18structure -n. a building or other man-made construction 19beam -n. a line of energy or particles sent in a line of direction 20pulse -n. an increased emission of energy or material at periodic, rhythmic intervals 21potential -adj. possible for the future 22__________________________________________________________________ 23We want to hear from you. 24We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 25Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.