Optical beaming of electrical discharges.

Area of Science:

• Plasma Physics and Photonics
• Laser-Matter Interactions
• Materials Science

Background:

• Controlling electrical discharges in ambient air is crucial for applications like nanofabrication, plasma medicine, and atmospheric monitoring.
• Previous methods often relied on high-power pulsed lasers to create plasma tracks, limiting precise control and energy efficiency.
• The need for efficient and controllable methods to initiate and guide electrical discharges has been a long-standing research challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate an efficient approach for triggering, trapping, and guiding electrical discharges in ambient air.
• To investigate the use of low-power continuous-wave vortex beams for discharge control.
• To explore the potential of optically trapped light-absorbing particles in mediating electrical discharges.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a low-power continuous-wave vortex laser beam to trap and transport graphene microparticles in mid-air.
• Investigated the effect of optically trapped graphene microparticles on the electrical discharge threshold.
• Measured the reduction in discharge threshold mediated by the laser-trapped particles.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a significant 30% decrease in the electrical discharge threshold.
• Achieved this reduction using optically trapped graphene microparticles with a low-power (few hundred milliwatts) continuous-wave vortex laser beam.
• Showcased the ability to trap and guide particles, suggesting a pathway for controlling discharge propagation.

Conclusions:

• The proposed method offers an efficient way to trigger, trap, and guide electrical discharges in air using low-power optics.
• Optically trapped graphene microparticles effectively reduce the discharge threshold, enabling controlled plasma generation.
• This technique holds promise for guiding electrical discharges along arbitrary paths, opening new avenues for various technological applications.