Re: Plasmoid (Ball Lightening) with a microwave resonator

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Jan Wagner by way of Terry Fritz <teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <jwagner-at-cc.hut.fi>

Hi,

On Mon, 3 Mar 2003, Tesla list wrote:
 > Original poster: "Harvey Norris by way of Terry Fritz 
<teslalist-at-qwest-dot-net>" <harvich-at-yahoo-dot-com>
 >
 > Apparently J Naudin of France, (an emminent
 > experimentalist with many web pages) has been able to
 > use  pencil lead, (graphite) to produce a stable
 > plasmoid, ( Ball Lightening?).  He uses  a microwave
 > and the standard Tesla coil quarterwavelength method
 > to achieve this.

Well, the TC 1/4 wavelength "method" really is a bit different from an
1/4-wave whip antenna + ground plane design, but...

Anyways, this plasma setup works quite nicely. The simplest form is a lit
tea light candle as a starter, or then all these pencils and stuff, there
are a lot of variations, but all rely on something combustible to
start the plasma. Same as when you are lucky to start a small plasma,
errm, "bunch", from a SSTC-generated RF flame (~=jacobs ladder flame).

He has got more here:
   http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/oa_plasmoid.htm
   http://jnaudin.free.fr/html/oa_plsm2.htm

This plasma isn't self-contained so IMO it can't be considered
"ball lightning". When you turn the oven off, the plasma vanishes, too
bad... :(

 > At
 > http://jlnlabs.imars-dot-com/plasma/gmr/index.htm
 > he notes the following;
 > The frequency of the magnetron is 2.45 GHz, its wave
 > length is l = 12.2 cm, this gives the height of the
 > 1/4 wave microwave antenna : l/4 = 3 cm
 >
 > This looks like a easily reproducible experiment if
 > the materials were available.(pyrex glass globe might
 > be a problem) The page is nicely done.

Pyrex glass is well available. Either from lab glass sellers
(probably cheapest) or as standard cooking dishes. The benefit
compared to normal glass grade is that it takes uneven heating and high
temperatures very well, without cracking.

Ok I've no idea how this plasmoid could be used to power a lifter (one of
these "HV lifter" flying devices). With that magnetron, waveguide,
resonator chamber, and a high-power supply, the total weight would keep
such a lifter well down on ground. :) And the energy still isn't free
unless you run from your neighbours outlet... ;)

  - jfw

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  Jan OH2GHR