Re: TC & Lightning

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

Original poster: "Ed Phillips" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net> 

Tesla list wrote:
 >
 > Original poster: "Malcolm Watts" <m.j.watts-at-massey.ac.nz>
 >
 > On 26 Jul 2004, at 13:00, Tesla list wrote:
 >
 >  > Original poster: "Steve Conner" <steve.conner-at-optosci-dot-com>
 >  >
 >  >  >[+]  Imagine trying to do this process in reverse: Start with a >TC
 >  >  made to have a suitable pattern of dispersion.  Send in a >CW burst
 >  >  having a swept frequency (a chirp) carefully chosen so >that the
 >  >  entire chirp (and therefore all the burst energy) is >concentrated by
 >  >  the dispersion into a single pulse at the far >end of the coil.
 >  >
 >  > Well, we have the technology ;) With solid state inverter stuff we can
 >  > quite easily generate pretty much any kind of FM/chirp thing you
 >  > fancy, at peak powers over 100kW.
 >  >
 >  > But I can't imagine how you would make a physical TC resonator that
 >  > had a dispersion pattern that was useful for pulse compression. Can
 >  > you?
 >  >
 >  > Steve C.
 >
 > An interesting question. Perhaps it might be worth looking over the
 > odd article on light pulse compression and hunting for analogues
 > which could be applied to the electrical world. If time permits and I
 > remember, I'll have ahunt through some Sci Am's next time I'm down in
 > the library.
 >
 > Malcolm

	There are existing designs for L/C networks used for compressing CHIRP
(linear FM) signals and presumably they could work for this purpose if
components with suitable voltage breakdown were used.  The technique is
ancient (if you consider 1955-1965 as ancient) but was used in the early
days of analog high resolution pulse compressed radar.  I think some of
the original BSTJ articles on CHIRP would show the designs and I suspect
they are in my Radar handbooks )which are at work and I'm at home).  If
anyone really wants to try to build something I could probably provide
some info.

	I can't remember which reference it is but in one of his articles Tesla
mentions setting up two coils tuned to slightly different frequencies
and notes that by changing the tuning he can change the nature of the
sparks between the terminals.  This is analogous to very simple pulse
compression.  When the phases of the two signals happen to be in
opposition the voltage between the terminals will reach a peak.  The
same thing can be done with more than two frequencies with corresponding
increase in "pulse compression ratio".

Ed

P.S. You may find mention to pulse compression in SA but there won't be
any design info.