Scientists said this week that they used a high-powered laser to change the direction of lightning strikes for the first time. The laser was aimed at the sky atop Mount Santis in northeastern Switzerland. Lightning is a powerful electrical discharge between a cloud and the ground, within a cloud or between clouds. It kills thousands of people and causes billions of dollars of damage to communication systems, power lines, and equipment each year. American inventor Benjamin Franklin first invented the lightning rod in the 1750s. That technology is still used today but can protect only a small area.

科学家们本周表示，他们首次使用高功率激光改变了雷击的方向。激光瞄准了瑞士东北部桑蒂斯山顶的天空。闪电是云与地面之间、云内或云与云之间的强大放电。它每年造成数千人死亡，并对通信系统、电力线和设备造成数十亿美元的损失。美国发明家本杰明·富兰克林在 1750 年代首先发明了避雷针。该技术至今仍在使用，但只能保护一小部分区域。

Scientists say the new device, called Laser Lightning Rod (LLR), could increase protection by extending the height of rods hundreds of meters. With further development, LLR could improve protection for important places such as power stations and airports.↳ Workers brought the equipment to the top of Mount Santis at 2,500 meters by helicopter and gondola. The laser is the size of a large car and weighs more than 2,700 kilograms. It was aimed at the sky above a 124-meter Swisscom telecommunications tower, one of Europe’s structures most affected by lightning. The laser works by creating a beam of electrically charged particles called ions. The ions attract lightning, just as a metal lightning rod does.

科学家表示，这种名为激光避雷针 (LLR) 的新装置可以通过将避雷针的高度延长数百米来增强保护。随着进一步的发展，LLR 可以提高对电站和机场等重要场所的保护。↳ 工人们通过直升机和缆车将设备运到 2500 米处的桑蒂斯山顶。激光器有一辆大型汽车那么大，重量超过 2700 公斤。它瞄准了一座 124 米高的瑞士电信塔上方的天空，该塔是欧洲受闪电影响最严重的建筑之一。激光的工作原理是产生一束称为离子的带电粒子。离子会吸引闪电，就像金属避雷针一样。

In experiments during the summer of 2021, the LLR sent strong laser pulses 1000 times per second. The laser redirected all four lightning strikes that happened during the laser’s operation. "We demonstrate for the first time that a laser can be used to guide natural lightning," said physicist Aurelien Houard of Ecole Polytechnique's Laboratory of Applied Optics in France. He is the coordinator of the Laser Lightning Rod project and lead writer of the research published in the journal Nature Photonics. Houard said that 10 to 15 years more work would be needed before the Laser Lightning Rod can enter common use. One worry is avoiding airplanes in flight. In fact, air traffic in the area was stopped when the researchers used the laser.

在 2021 年夏季的实验中，LLR 每秒发送 1000 次强激光脉冲。激光重定向了激光运行期间发生的所有四次雷击。 “我们首次证明激光可用于引导自然闪电，”法国高等理工学院应用光学实验室的物理学家 Aurelien Houard 说。他是激光避雷针项目的协调员，也是发表在《自然光子学》杂志上的研究的主要作者。 Houard 说，在激光避雷针投入普遍使用之前，还需要 10 到 15 年的工作。一个担心是避免飞行中的飞机。事实上，当研究人员使用激光时，该地区的空中交通停止了。

"Indeed, there is a potential issue using the system with air traffic in the area because the laser could harm the eyes of the pilot if he crosses the laser beam and looks down," Houard said.

“事实上，在该地区的空中交通中使用该系统存在一个潜在问题，因为如果飞行员穿过激光束并向下看，激光可能会伤害他的眼睛，”Houard 说。