Phys.org November 11, 2020
Numerous experiments utilizing powerful pulsed lasers with peak-intensity above air photoionization and photo-dissociation have demonstrated excitation and confinement of plasma tracks in the wakes of laser field. An international team of researchers (Australia, USA – UCLA) developed and demonstrated an efficient approach for triggering, trapping, and guiding electrical discharges in air. It is based on the use of a low-power continuous-wave vortex beam that traps and transports light-absorbing particles in mid-air. They found a 30% decrease in discharge threshold mediated by optically trapped graphene microparticles with the use of a laser beam of a few hundred milliwatts of power. The demonstration may pave the way to guiding electrical discharges along arbitrary paths reducing the risk of catastrophic bushfires…read more. Open Access TECHNICAL ARTICLEÂ
Mechanisms for a laser-induced air breakdown and discharge guidance. Credit: Nature Communications volume 11, Article number: 5306 (2020)