Triggering and guiding of megavolt discharges by laser-induced filaments under rain conditions

Abstract

We demonstrate laser control of high-voltage discharges over a gap of 1.2 m filled with a dense water cloud. Self-guided filaments generated by ultrashort laser pulses are transmitted through the cloud and ionize a continuous plasma channel. The cloud typically reduces the discharge probability in given experimental conditions by 30%, but has almost no influence on the threshold required to trigger single discharge events, both in electrical field and laser energy. This result is favorable for real-scale lightning control applications.

Physics and applications of atmospheric nonlinear optics and filamentation

“…Partly guided discharges also occur in some configurations, providing information about the mechanism of the initiation and propagation of laser-triggered discharges [208]. Even artificial rain does not prevent the laser filaments to trigger the discharges [209]. Current work focuses on the possibility to extend the plasma lifetime using auxiliary lasers in order to increase the possible guiding length and improve the scalability to atmospheric scales.…”

Propagation of laser filaments through an extended turbulent region

“…[5][6][7] Filamentation might also provide a third option, besides wavelength diversity 8 and spatial diversity, 9,10 to circumvent the effects of turbulence in free-space communications. Such applications are based on the main properties of the filaments, including their ability to deliver high intensities at long distances [11][12][13] and a broad continuum spectrum.…”

Laser femtoseconde, filamentation, nuage et orage

“…L'utilisation de laser de plus forteénergie tels que le Téramobile [29], premier laser femtoseconde-terawatt (400 mJ, 80 fs) mobile, pourrait conduireà des transmissions des filaments sur desépaisseurs optiques plusélevées encore. D'ores et déjà, des expériences en laboratoire ont montré que le déclenchement et le guidage par laser de décharges de haute tension restent possible sur 1,2 m, sous un flux de gouttes d'eau correspondant a une hauteur de précipitation de 1,4 mm/min, correspondantà une forte pluie [30]. Il s'agità ce jour des simulations en laboratoire les plus réalistes pour le déclenchement de foudre par laser.…”