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Laser triggered discharges




From: 	Steve Date[SMTP:sdate-at-gte-dot-net]
Reply To: 	sdate-at-gte-dot-net
Sent: 	Thursday, August 28, 1997 12:58 PM
To: 	Tesla List
Subject: 	Laser triggered discharges

For those of you that were discussing lasers opening a path for longer
discharges a few months ago.....

A article in this months "PHOTONICS" (Aug) 
"Researchers at Osaka University and Kansai Electric Power Co. announced
last month that a laser beam "attracted" lightning to a metal tower atop
a mountian at Wakasa Bay."

It goes on to describe the setup as a CO2 laser and two large aperture
Cassegrain telescopes aimed at a thundercloud just before it was about
to discharge (1-kJ, 50-ns laser pulses).

The article states that they are trying to find a way to divert
lightning hits away from power lines.

Here's a new way to get that extra inch of spark we all seem to need.

steve (seattle)