Investigation of electric discharges in the vicinity of a charged aerosol cloud and their interaction with a laser-induced spark

It is experimentally demonstrated that an extended laser-induced spark developed in the vicinity of a grounded electrode and having a structure in the form of separate spherical plasma formations may intercept the channel of a leader discharge developing from the grounded electrode to an artificially charged aerosol cloud. The interception occurs with the electric field intensity in the vicinity of the electrode being close to the value required for an upward positive leader. It is registered that the presence of a laser-induced spark in the vicinity of the electrode causes a manifold reduction of the time of stable leader formation. It is found that the emergence of an extended laser-induced spark of a $\mathrm{CO}_2$ laser in the vicinity of the boundaries of a highly charged aerosol cloud does not provoke a discharge to ground from the cloud.