Precisely controlling sparks allows for their use in a wide variety of applications.
For the first time, scientists have found that electric sparks can be guided using ultrasonic waves. A recent study by researchers from Spain, Finland, and Canada uncovered the way in which ultrasonic waves transport electricity through air.
Researchers revealed that this guidance occurs because the sparks heat up the air, which expands and lowers its density.
The hot air is then guided by ultrasonic waves into regions where the sound intensity is higher, and the next sparks follow these regions of lighter air because of its lower breakdown voltage, according to researchers.