Scientists have found a way to potentially prevent lightning strikes from damaging infrastructure or causing injuries and deaths, according to a report published Monday.
During a storm in the Swiss Alps, a group of researchers successfully guided bolts of lightning to the ground using laser technology, according to a paper published in the journal Nature Photonics.
“Here we present the first demonstration that laser-induced filaments—formed in the sky by short and intense laser pulses—can guide lightning discharges over considerable distances,” researchers said in the paper’s abstract. “We believe that this experimental breakthrough will lead to progress in lightning protection and lightning physics.”…