Related papers: Laser-guided lightning
X-rays have been observed in natural downward cloud-to-ground lightning for over twenty years and in rocket-triggered lightning for slightly less. In both cases, this energetic radiation has been detected during the stepped and dart leader…
Laser based lightning control holds a promising way to solve the problem of the long standing disaster of lightning strikes. But it is a challenging project due to insufficient understanding of the interaction between laser plasma channel…
With LOFAR we have been able to image the development of lightning flashes with meter-scale accuracy and unprecedented detail. We discuss the primary steps behind our most recent lightning mapping method. To demonstrate the capabilities of…
We use the Low Frequency ARray (LOFAR) to probe the dynamics of the stepping process of negatively-charged plasma channels (negative leaders) in a lightning discharge. We observe that at each step of a leader, multiple pulses of VHF…
Between May and October 2013 (period of sustained thunderstorm activity in France), several cloud-to-ground lightning flashes have been observed in Paris area with a high-speed video camera (14000 frames per second). The localization and…
Mini arrays are commonly used for infrasonic and seismic studies. Here we report for the first time the detection and mapping of distant lightning discharges in the sky with a mini array. The array has a baseline to wavelength ratio…
The distant projection of high peak and average power laser beams in the atmosphere is a longstanding goal with a wide range of applications. Our early proof-of-principle experiments [Phys. Rev. X 4, 011027 (2014)] presented one solution to…
This study examines the relationship between upward negative stepped leader pulses in upward positive lightning and preliminary breakdown pulses (PBPs) in downward negative lightning discharges. Through analysis of simultaneous channel-base…
Cloud-to-ground lightning is the most common among atmospheric discharges. Since electric fields in the vicinity of a thunder-cloud do not exceed 250 kV/m the physical process that triggers the lightning remains unexplained. [1, 2, 3]…
The electric conductivity, HV discharge triggering and guiding capabilities of filaments at 3.9 micrometer in air are investigated in the perspective of lightning control applications, and compared to near-IR filaments in identical…
The recent development of high average, high peak power lasers has revived the effort of using lasers as a potential tool to influence natural lightning. Although impressive, the current progress in laser lightning control technology may…
Bursts of gamma ray showers have been observed in coincidence with downward propagating negative leaders in lightning flashes by the Telescope Array Surface Detector (TASD). The TASD is a 700~square kilometer cosmic ray observatory located…
Femtosecond laser filament generates strong terahertz (THz) pulse in air. In this paper, THz pulse waveform generated by femtosecond laser filament has been experimentally investigated as a function of the length of the filament.…
Relativistic, charged particles present in extensive air showers lead to a coherent emission of radio pulses which are measured to identify the shower initiating high-energy cosmic rays. Especially during thunderstorms, there are additional…
At a wind farm in Croatia, lightning activity is monitored across the entire site using a lightning location system, and on a single wind turbine equipped with a Rogowski-coil-based current measurement system and a high-speed camera, all…
Multi-filamentation opens new degrees of freedom for manipulating electromagnetic waves in air. However, without control, multiple filament interactions, including attraction, repulsion or fusion often result in formation of complex…
Laser guide stars created by Rayleigh scattering provide a reasonable means to monitor atmospheric wavefront distortions for real-time correction by adaptive optics systems. Because of the $\lambda^{-4}$ wavelength dependence of Rayleigh…
We investigate the influence of ultrashort laser filaments on high-voltage discharges and spark-free unloading at various repetition rates and wind conditions. For electric fields well below, close to and above the threshold for discharges,…
We demonstrate that femtosecond filaments can set up an extended and robust thermal waveguide structure in air with a lifetime of several milliseconds, making possible the very long range guiding and distant projection of high energy laser…
Nonlinear self-guided propagation of intense long-wave infrared (LWIR) laser pulses is of significant recent interest owing to the high critical power for self-focusing collapse at long wavelengths. This promises transmission of very high…