Original poster: "Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz" <acmdq@xxxxxxxxxx> Tesla list wrote:
Air or vacuum capacitors store energy as any other capacitor, in the field between the oppositely charged plates. The presence of a dielectric is equivalent to interpose a lot of small insulated conductors between the plates, forming a network of capacitors between the plates that has the effect of increasing the capacitance between the terminals. That story about capacitors storing charge at the surface of the dielectric and not at the plates is a natural consequence of the presence of the dielectric in contact with the plates. The charges simply move, by creeping or sparking, to where they are attracted by the electric field. If a capacitor is charged at low voltage and the plates are quickly movedOriginal poster: Mike <megavolts61@xxxxxxxxx> Original poster: "Gav D" <gdingley@xxxxxxxxx> Hi Mike, that's what I thought actually, but I wasn't going to say it. Virtual photons in the zero-point flux turn into electron-positron pairs, which are electrical dipoles, and so polarize. I just rather hoped there may have been a simpler/more sensible answer! Gavin Hey Gavin,I honestly don't know how a vacuum cap stores energy, but the pair production is about as good an explanation as any....At least until someone tells us a better explanation. Dang it....now I'm gonna have to think about it....lol...hope it doesn't give me a nosebleed.haha Mike
away from the dielectric, most of the charge remains in the plates. Antonio Carlos M. de Queiroz