Scientists are trying to control lightning with a giant laser

By Jacopo Prisco, CNN

Updated 4:18 AM ET, Mon July 12, 2021

An experimental laser will soon be tested at Säntis, in the Swiss Alps, where the radio transmission tower at its summit is hit by lightning hundreds of times each year.
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
An experimental laser will soon be tested at Säntis, in the Swiss Alps, where the radio transmission tower at its summit is hit by lightning hundreds of times each year.
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The laser will be fired at clouds to discharge lightning in a controlled way. Testing at Säntis was originally planned for 2020, but was delayed by the pandemic, allowing the team to run more extensive tests in a Paris lab.
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
The laser will be fired at clouds to discharge lightning in a controlled way. Testing at Säntis was originally planned for 2020, but was delayed by the pandemic, allowing the team to run more extensive tests in a Paris lab.
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High winds at the summit of Säntis mean concrete blocks weighing a total of 18 tons are needed to anchor the laser machinery, housed inside a custom-sized shipping container.
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
High winds at the summit of Säntis mean concrete blocks weighing a total of 18 tons are needed to anchor the laser machinery, housed inside a custom-sized shipping container.
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A helicopter transported the laser components to the transmission tower site in late May 2021.
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
A helicopter transported the laser components to the transmission tower site in late May 2021.
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"This is one of the places in Europe that's struck by lightning the most," said Wolf of the test site, "so it's an ideal place to make our proof-of-concept experiments."
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
"This is one of the places in Europe that's struck by lightning the most," said Wolf of the test site, "so it's an ideal place to make our proof-of-concept experiments."
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"It's a huge laser -- it takes a large truck to transport it, which is why it was built like a puzzle, with modules that can be put together on site," said Swiss physicist Jean-Pierre Wolf, who is leading the research.
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
"It's a huge laser -- it takes a large truck to transport it, which is why it was built like a puzzle, with modules that can be put together on site," said Swiss physicist Jean-Pierre Wolf, who is leading the research.
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The project is the work of an EU-funded consortium which includes universities in Paris and Lausanne, as well as rocket manufacturer ArianeGroup and the maker of the laser, German high-tech company Trumpf.
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
The project is the work of an EU-funded consortium which includes universities in Paris and Lausanne, as well as rocket manufacturer ArianeGroup and the maker of the laser, German high-tech company Trumpf.
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Wolf isn't the only scientist attempting to use electricity to affect clouds. Scientists from the University of Reading, in the UK, are <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2021/05/27/middleeast/clouds-electricity-rain-spc-intl/index.html" target="_blank">using drones to apply a charge to clouds</a> to make them rain.
Photos: Controlling lightning with a massive laser
Wolf isn't the only scientist attempting to use electricity to affect clouds. Scientists from the University of Reading, in the UK, are using drones to apply a charge to clouds to make them rain.
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