Using lasers to create rain and control the weather
Scientists at the University of Central Florida have successfully developed extremely powerful laser beam technology to create artificial rain and control the weather.
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| Scientists can control the weather and create artificial rain - Photo: Science News |
Scientists say electrostatic particles play a key role in water condensation and lightning activity in storm clouds. In theory, stimulating these particles with lasers is the key to creating lightning.
“When a laser beam is powerful enough, it behaves differently than normal, which means it breaks apart,” said Matthew Mills, a graduate student at the UCF Center for Laser Optics. “In other words, it creates a violent rupture, ripping apart electrons from oxygen and nitrogen in the air, creating plasma.”
Based on the above theory, students from UCF College of Optics and Photons have collaborated with researchers at the University of Arizona to create a "laser beam" to control the weather, creating artificial rain.
The high-energy laser beam is surrounded by a second beam, which maintains and energizes the central laser beam to reach further. This combined two-beam system is directed straight into the sky, causing clouds to shed water, forming artificial rain and creating lightning.
The research was funded by a $7.5 million grant from the Department of Defense. The results were published in the journal Nature Photonics.
According to Tuoitre
