It may sound like science fiction, but a group of scientists was actually
able to control lightning and guide it safely to the ground. The ‘how’ sounds even more sci-fi – with a laser.
This is the first successful trial to harness lightning in 20 years of experiments, research physicists Aurelien Houard and Jean-Pierre Wolf said. The two and other colleagues released their findings this week.
The researchers brought their laser to a 135-yard tall communications tower on Santis Mountain high above Switzerland in the summer of 2021. The tower was fitted with a traditional lightning rod or Franklin rod that is usually hit 100 times yearly.
Then they fired the powerful laser over the rod. The laser’s ionizing energy pulse creates a heated air channel, or laser filament, that conducts electricity.
Lightning searches out the most direct and quickest route to discharge. The temporary air channel essentially extended the reach of the protecting lightning rod by at least 32 yards. Then the bolt took the path of least resistance into the rod, which channels the electricity harmlessly into the ground to disperse.
NOAA says that an average lightning flash is about 300 million volts. Lightning protection becomes essential when you consider the electricity in your home is only 120 volts and has enough power to stop a heart.
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