I would have thought shooting the laser would just cause lightning to strike the laser emitter itself. But they can tweak the laser to make the air ionization start some distance from the emitter. So, they can make the lighting strike something else. There is a neat picture in the article showing lighting going along, then following the laser beam down for a bit, then leaving the laser beam and going to a tower. People first tried this in 1999.
12 Comments
trachemys@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 3y
I would have thought shooting the laser would just cause lightning to strike the laser emitter itself. But they can tweak the laser to make the air ionization start some distance from the emitter. So, they can make the lighting strike something else. There is a neat picture in the article showing lighting going along, then following the laser beam down for a bit, then leaving the laser beam and going to a tower. People first tried this in 1999.
assassinatedbyCIA@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 3y
Not today zeus
Fedizen@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 3y
Later: Swiss scientists use lasers to cause lightning strikes
kautau@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 3y
Nature powered Tesla coils
culprit@lemmy.ml · 8 pts · 3y
Is there any feasible tech that can harvest energy from a lightning bolt? Maybe a molten salt type thing?
mcesh@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 3y
Turns out there’s only about 0.25 kW of energy in a lightning bolt - which costs maybe 5-10 cents in the US - so it’s not really worth it.
zout@kbin.social · 15 pts · 3y
Since 1985 everybody knows it's 1.21 GW.
culprit@lemmy.ml · 0 pts · 3y
sounds like a supplement renewable energy if you can harvest it cheaply
VanillaDrink@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 3y
We're one step closer to controlling the weather. That is, if you don't believe we hadn't already accomplished that with HAARP.
Vlhacs@reddthat.com · 3 pts · 3y
https://youtu.be/nIPcCOxuiwM?t=1m42s for slightly ELI5 explanation
PipedLinkBot@feddit.rocks · 4 pts · 3y
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originalucifer@moist.catsweat.com · 0 pts · 3y
weaponized lightning?