Ashley N. Paddock, [email protected] PALAISEAU, France — With the help of a laser-based lightning rod, laboratory-generated lightning was coaxed to strike the same place not just twice but numerous times, and contrary to the path of least resistance. This advance demonstrates the potential of laser-based lightning rods for research and protection. In earlier experiments, femtosecond lasers were used to produce a virtual lightning rod from ultrashort filaments of ionized gas that act as electrical guide wires. Now, for the first time, researchers in France have used laser-induced atmospheric filaments to reroute an electrical discharge from...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaArticlesCenter for Photonics in Infection Research to Open in JenaGermany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the establishment of the Leibniz Centre for Photonics in Infection Research (LPI) at the Jena University Hospital. 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Products...Photonics Buyers' GuideOhara CorporationOHARA manufactures more than 130 environmentally safe optical glass types, free of both lead and arsenic. More than 300 tons of optical glass are melted per month, available in the following forms of...Photonics Buyers' Guide