Is Laser Lightning Effective?
Is Laser Lightning Effective?You know how lightning can happen? Before that, we must also know what lightning is. Lightning is the discharge of electric charge due to an imbalance of charge between the clouds and the earth's surface. However, most lightning occurs within the clouds themselves.[1] Another fact is that lightning can increase the temperature around it by up to five times the temperature on the sun's surface.[2] The heat causes the air to rapidly stretch and vibrate, resulting in a thunderous roar that is heard by us after the appearance of lightning in the sky.
Natural disasters repeatedly occur due to powerful lightning strikes. Lightning can cause sudden power outages, forest fires, damage electronic systems, and even cause the death of humans and livestock. The damage caused by lightning strikes amounts to billions of euros every year.[3] Plus the increase in climate change due to global warming, triggering an increase in the frequency of storm hazards. Thus allowing for an increase in lightning in the future.
How Lightning Poles Work
Nearly 270 years ago, Benjamin Franklin invented the pole as an antidote to lightning strikes.[4] Many people mistakenly think that the electric rod attracts lightning charges towards the pole frame. However, a more correct answer is that the lightning pole has a low resistance circuit that is directed towards the ground. When lightning strikes, the system attempts to direct a large amount of electric current towards the ground.[5] One of the countries that has the highest lightning rod is the Burj Khalifa tower in the United Arab Emirates.[6]
Examples of the appearance of electric poles in general
The concept of lightning protection is still considered commonplace as used by many countries. We're not saying this lightning rod is useless. However, due to the many shortcomings that arise, such as the installation of permanent poles, it has a negative effect on the surrounding environment. Some of the effects include electromagnetic interference and voltage spikes in electronic devices (mobile phones, televisions, radios, and others). This problem requires finding the right solution to counteract the side effects of the lightning rod.
New Laser-Based Lightning Protection
It turns out that there are more sophisticated tools in eliminating communication wave interference and electrical voltage spikes in electronic devices. That sophisticated tool is a laser.
Hey, why lasers? Isn't that a commercial laser used by children, huh? Yes, that's one example, the laser pointer is called. However, it is also not true that it is used as a toy because it is harmful to the retina of our eyes. So, the laser used for lightning protection is called a laser lightning rod or laser lightning rod.
The idea has actually been expressed by the EU-funded LLR project research project agency. One of the researchers funded for the project on lasers is Clemens Herkommer. He has spent four years developing laser systems. He installed a kilohertz-terawatt laser system (thousands of hertz frequency and trillions of watts of electric current) on top of Mount Säntis. The goal is that the laser can control and deflect lightning safely. The purpose of using a high amount of electrical energy in a laser is to stimulate a flash of lightning. The tower has a height of 123 meters above Mount Säntis. After the stimulation occurs, the lightning comes out of the dark clouds and is then channeled to a safe place.
Laser tower over Mount Säntis, Switzerland
The laser working system used by Herkommer is as follows. 1000 pulses of ultra-short laser light are fired into the atmosphere every second. At the same time, the Si "super laser" will produce long channels that have been ionized. These channels, called laser filaments, are fired into the clouds. The laser filament will act as a reference path for the lightning, so the lightning will be deflected from buildings that are susceptible to being struck by the ionized laser.[8] Cool… just by releasing a laser in a matter of seconds, we can save the earth from the dangers of lightning energy.