Scientists have demonstrated experimentally for the first time that rapidly firing lasers can deflect lightning. The research suggests that laser beams could be used as “lightning rods” to protect infrastructure, though it may take some time. Metal lightning rods are commonly used to deflect lightning strikes and dissipate the charge safely. But the size of the lightning rod is limited, and the effect is also effective. Physicists have long wondered whether lasers could enhance architectural protection, since lasers can be shot higher in the sky than physical structures and can be pointed in any direction. The Laser Lightning Rod Project, a team of about 25 researchers, experimented with a specially built $2 million high-power laser in the Swiss Alps. The researchers placed the laser next to the Santis telecommunications tower, which is often struck by lightning — about 100 times a year. After 10 weeks of observations, the research team found that the laser guided four lightning events during the six-hour thunderstorm.
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