At the Sntintis, a laser really guided the lightning

At the top of the Sntintis, a powerful laser is installed near the telecommunication tower. The idea seems to come out of a film: to propose to lightning a path created in the air. The 2021 field campaign made it possible to observe this guidance in real stormy conditions.

The laser pulses briefly modify the air on their way and promote the formation of a passage for a discharge. The device was working with a tower already equipped with a lightning rod. It did not replace the entire installation with a simple luminous line.

The researchers compared the observations made with and without laser. The results announced in 2023 show an ascending flash, initiated by the tower, part of the path follows the beam over several tens of meters. The demonstration extends laboratory work.

The result is a guided discharge on this instrumented site. It proves neither that all lightning can be commanded, nor that a thunderstorm can be suppressed.