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Post by Wayne Smith on Nov 23, 2020 14:52:15 GMT 10
Australian Scientists Tame Lightning With New TechnologyTheir pioneering laser tractor beam has the potential to control the path of lightning as it comes to earth, researchers at The Australian National University and UNSW Canberra say. With further development, the discovery may reduce the number of bushfires started by lightning, which caused many of Australia’s devastating 2019-20 blazes that killed 34 people. The tractor beam can be fired over long distances and allows for precision control of a lightning bolt, physicist Vladlen Shvedov says. “We can imagine a future where this technology may induce electrical discharge from passing lightning, helping to guide it to safe targets,” he said. An international team of scientists used a laser beam to trap and heat graphene microparticles in the air and create a path so electrical discharges could flow to a specified target. “The experiment simulated similar atmospheric conditions to those found in real lightning,” Dr Shvedov said.
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