A team of researchers has demonstrated new techniques that bring lasers as lighting rods closer to reality. When a powerful laser beam shoots through the air, it ionizes the molecules, leaving a thin trail of hot, ionized particles in its wake. Because this stream of plasma conducts electricity, it could be used to channel away a potentially damaging lightning bolt. The researchers found ways to make the length of such a plasma channel reach more than 10 times longer -- a necessary advance for using the channel to redirect a lightning strike.
from Strange & Offbeat News -- ScienceDaily http://ift.tt/1KxU3Bi
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