Corona discharge induced snow formation in a cloud chamber

Area of Science:

• Atmospheric Science
• Environmental Engineering
• Plasma Physics

Background:

• Artificial rainmaking is crucial for arid regions, but traditional cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) methods are expensive and environmentally damaging.
• Ionization-based rainmaking concepts date back over a century, yet lack robust experimental validation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate and verify precipitation induction using corona discharge in a cloud chamber.
• To compare the efficiency of corona discharge ionization with femtosecond laser filamentation for artificial precipitation.

Main Methods:

• Controlled cloud chamber experiments utilizing corona discharge to induce ionization.
• Measurement of condensation and precipitation (snowfall) formation.
• Comparative analysis of wall-plug efficiency with laser-based ionization methods.

Main Results:

• Successfully induced condensation and precipitation (snowfall) using corona discharge.
• Identified ionic wind as a primary driver, more significant than ions acting as CCN.
• Achieved a four-orders-of-magnitude higher wall-plug efficiency for snow precipitation compared to femtosecond laser ionization.

Conclusions:

• Corona discharge is a viable and highly efficient method for artificial precipitation.
• Ionic wind plays a critical role in ionization-induced cloud processes.
• This technique offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendlier alternative to existing artificial rainmaking solutions.