Giant Lasers Could Be Used To Divert Lightning Strikes Away From Buildings | HuffPost

Scientists Might Soon Divert Lightning With Giant Lasers

Huffington Post UK

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Scott Stringham photographer via Getty Images

Scientists have created a laser that can travel long distances without losing power.

Inexplicably they have not suggested this technology could be put to use in a death ray, light-sabre or some other instrument of carnage.

Instead they reckon it would be useful for diverting lightning away from buildings which clearly has its benefits but is nowhere near as interesting.

Story continues after slideshow...

When Volcanoes And Lightning Meet

(01 of21)

A giant bolt of lightning strikes Indonesia's Mount Merapi in 2010. (Photos: Merapi Volcano Ash Smothers Indonesian Villages.) "We sometimes refer to [volcanic plumes] as dirty thunderstorms," Stephen McNutt said. But, he added, there's a lot more lightning in the ash plumes than is visible in the pictures. "That's because ash clouds are opaque." (credit:Jeffe Castan, National Geographic Your Shot)

(02 of21)

It wasn't the lightning but rather the widespread ash clouds from the April 2010 eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano (pictured) that eventually grounded a hundred thousand flights.Particles of rock, glass, and sand in volcanic plumes can jam jet engines, as happened in 1982 when a British Airways 747 lost all four engines over Indonesia before recovering in the nick of time. (Read more about why ash is so dangerous to airplanes.)Radio emissions from volcanic lightning might provide a tool for quickly assessing the amount of ash in a volcanic plume occurring at night or in inclement weather, when neither satellites nor ground-based observers can see exactly what is happening, according to the new volcanic-lightning research, published in the journal Eos.Other methods, such as seismometers or sound detectors, can't distinguish ash-producing eruptions from eruptions that pose no risk to air traffic, said report coauthor McNutt, a volcanologist at the University of Alaska, Fairban (credit:Lucas Jackson/Reuters)

(03 of21)

Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupts with flash and ash in 2010. (Related pictures: "Iceland Volcano Spews Giant Ash Clouds [April 2010].")With the right instruments, McNutt said, "you can see electrical activity right at the onset of the eruption," inside the crater.These otherwise invisible lightning bolts (not pictured) are produced by the other mechanism for static-charge generation: the shattering of rocks thrust skyward in an eruption.The in-crater bolts aren't huge, but they can strike thousands of times a second, creating a nearly continuous radio signal that would instantly mark the onset of the eruption, he said. (credit:Peter Vancoillie, National Geographic Your Shot)

(04 of21)

Lightning is seen amid a cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in southern Chile, 870 km south of Santiago, on June 5, 2011. Puyehue volcano erupted for the first time in half a century on June 4, 2011, prompting evacuations for 3,500 people as it sent a cloud of ash that reached Argentina. The National Service of Geology and Mining said the explosion that sparked the eruption also produced a column of gas 10 kilometers (six miles) high, hours after warning of strong seismic activity in the area. (credit:CLAUDIO SANTANA/AFP/Getty Images)

(05 of21)

-In this June 6, 2011 file photo, lightning strikes over the Puyehue volcano, over 500 miles south of Santiago, Chile. (credit:AP Photo/Francisco Negroni)

(06 of21)

Lightning is seen amid a cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in southern Chile, 870 km south of Santiago, on June 5, 2011. Puyehue volcano erupted for the first time in half a century on June 4, 2011, prompting evacuations for 3,500 people as it sent a cloud of ash that reached Argentina. The National Service of Geology and Mining said the explosion that sparked the eruption also produced a column of gas 10 kilometers (six miles) high, hours after warning of strong seismic activity in the area. (credit:CLAUDIO SANTANA/AFP/Getty Images)

(07 of21)

Lightning is seen amid a cloud of ash billowing from Puyehue volcano near Osorno in southern Chile, 870 km south of Santiago, on June 5, 2011. Puyehue volcano erupted for the first time in half a century on June 4, 2011, prompting evacuations for 3,500 people as it sent a cloud of ash that reached Argentina. The National Service of Geology and Mining said the explosion that sparked the eruption also produced a column of gas 10 kilometers (six miles) high, hours after warning of strong seismic activity in the area. (credit:CLAUDIO SANTANA/AFP/Getty Images)

Next: Wild Volcano Photos(08 of21)

Piton de la Fournaise - Reunion Island (09 of21)

Translating appropriately to “Peak of the Furnace,” this very active volcano can be seen via local helicopter tours. See all 40 volcanoes on Trippy.

Klyuchevskaya Sopka - Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia (10 of21)

Talk about blowing your top! This volcano, which happens to be the highest in Asia, started spewing in 1697 and erupted as recently as 2011. See all 40 volcanoes on Trippy.

Anak Krakatau - Indonesia(11 of21)

Anak Krakatau translates to “Child of Krakatoa”, which makes perfect sense given that the island was actually created from volcanic eruptions on the nearby island of Krakatoa. See all 40 volcanoes in map view.

Mount Rainier - Pierce County, Washington(12 of21)

It may look beautiful but Rainier is so dangerous it’s classified as a “Decade Volcano,” a group of 16 volcanoes deemed to be among the world’s most potentially destructive. See all 40 volcanoes in map view.

Kilauea - Hawaii, United States(13 of21)

Thought to be the world’s most active volcano, Kīlauea is said to be inhabited by Pele, Hawaii’s volcano goddess. See all 40 volcanoes in map view.

Mount Egmont - North Island, New Zealand (14 of21)

Although it is located in New Zealand, Mount Egmont, or Mount Taranaki as it’s really named, looks so much like Mt. Fuji that it was used as such in the movie, “The Last Samurai.” See all 40 volcanoes in map view.

Volcan Arenal - Alajuela Provice, Costa Rica(15 of21)

Even though it’s experiencing a dormant period, Arenal’s geothermal activity has resulted in loads of hot springs in the area. See all 40 volcanoes in map view.

Mount Fuji - Japan(16 of21)

If you come to Mount Fuji expecting a show, you’re probably going to be out of luck. This tranquil volcano hasn’t erupted since the 1700s. See all 40 volcanoes on Trippy.

Mount Stromboli - Stromboli Island, Italy (17 of21)

So active and distinct is this volcano that geologists frequently refer to other volcanoes as being “Strombolian” in nature. See all 40 volcanoes on Trippy.

Volcan Parinacota - Chile / Bolivia(18 of21)

If the Parinacota Volcano in Lauca National Park isn’t acting up when you visit, amuse yourself by checking out the local wildlife which includes llama, alpaca, and even cougar! See all 40 volcanoes on Trippy.

Poas Volcano - Costa Rica (19 of21)

While the volcano is certainly impressive, the real attraction here is the area’s famous yellow-green squirrel, which can be found nowhere else in the world. See all 40 volcanoes on Trippy.

Mount Bromo - East Java, Indonesia (20 of21)

If you visit on the 14th day of the Yadnya Kasada festival, you may see locals throwing everything from fruit and flowers to livestock into the volcano. This tradition of offering sacrifices dates back to the 15th century. See all 40 volcanoes on Trippy.

Next: Fascinating Volcano Videos(21 of21)

Normally lasers lose power over distances of more than a few inches due to the dissipating effects of linear refraction which ionises the air creating plasma and

To overcome this the new technique embeds a primary beam within a secondary 'dress' beam.

Maik Scheller, an assistant research professor in the UA College of Optical Sciences, said: "Think of two airplanes flying together, a small fighter jet accompanied by a large tanker.

"Just like the large plane refuels the fighter jet in flight and greatly extends its range, our primary, high-intensity laser pulse is accompanied by a second laser pulse – the "dress" beam – which provides a constant energy supply to compensate for the energy loss of the primary laser beam as it travels farther from its source."

By using the new technique, researchers were able to extend the range of the lasers from around 10 inches to 7 feet.

Is this was scaled up they could in theory reach around 165 feet, enough to create channels of ionised plasma through which lightning could travel.

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