There seems to be an ionization trail.

Meteor is the ionization trail produced by a meteroid as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

I continue falling, and in another 158.4 seconds, I have slowed enough that the ionization trail begins to dissipate and full operational communications is restored.

But soon it was obvious that the ionization trail was becoming painfully difficult to follow.

The ionization trail would tell us immediately that it did not originate from here on Earth.

"It's this ionization trail," he said, the laser arrow following the computer graphics on the screen.

As the wire is vaporized by the initial strike subsequent strikes are more angular in nature following the ionization trail of the initial strike.

Then I imagine I would choose Xenon, because its high atomic number would maximize the density of the initial ionization trail.

The vapor stretched up from the ground, spinning faster, rising along the ionization trail left by the phaser beams.