A year and a half ago, the Trumpf laser, which was aimed into the sky, was transported in parts and with the help of helicopters to the summit of the Säntis mountain.
(Photo: via REUTERS)
Stuttgart The mega laser from the Swabian manufacturer Trumpf can actually discharge lightning. This is the result of a first scientific study published in the journal “Nature Photonics”.
A year and a half ago, the laser, nine meters long and weighing five tons, was pointed into the sky and transported in parts and with the help of helicopters to the summit of the Swiss mountain Säntis. The device was installed at a height of 2500 meters on a 124 meter high telecommunications tower.
Since then, the weather experiments have been running as part of the EU project “Laser Lightning Roof”. The data analysis by the scientists of a team led by Aurélien Houard from the Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée in Palaiseau near Paris and the University of Geneva has now shown that the laser can direct lightning effectively. This is intended to better protect sensitive infrastructure from lightning strikes.
The authors of the study write: “We believe that this experimental breakthrough will lead to advances in lightning protection and lightning physics.”
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A Trumpf spokesman explained: “By influencing the forces of nature in this way, we may soon be able to prevent billions in damage to airports or nuclear power plants.” The project shows the opportunities that laser technology made in Germany offers.
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The idea of using lasers for lightning protection has been around for almost 50 years. The use of lasers to guide lightning was demonstrated in the laboratory at the end of the 1990s. However, outdoor attempts failed both in the USA and in Asia.
“One of the currently most powerful lasers in its class”
The scientists attribute the fact that it now worked on the Säntis mountain to the significantly higher laser pulse repetition rate compared to earlier experiments. The laser used emitted light with a wavelength of about one micron (thousandths of a millimeter) and a repetition rate of 1000 hertz.
The performance spectrum of the medium-sized company Trumpf ranges from lasers the size of a grain of sand for data transmission to the large super laser on the Säntis.
The performance spectrum of the medium-sized company Trumpf ranges from lasers the size of a grain of sand for data transmission to the large super laser on the Säntis.
(Photo: dpa)
Clemens Herkommer developed the mega laser within four years. The Trumpf engineer raves about the project: “The lightning rod is currently one of the most powerful lasers in its class.”
The Säntis was chosen because of its exposed location during thunderstorms. “The tower, which is struck by lightning about 100 times a year, is equipped with multiple sensors that record the lightning current, electromagnetic fields at various distances, X-rays and radiation sources of the lightning discharges,” the study authors write.
With four flashes recorded by high-speed cameras, the images show the lightning coiling around the laser beam for more than 50 meters and then striking the tower’s lightning rod.
The researchers see evidence that lightning discharges can conduct over considerable distances. However, these preliminary results should be confirmed by further test series.
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