RE: [TCML] "Phantom Streamer" Photographs

[Jeff Behary <electrotherapy@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Gary and Terry,
I'm using the unusual "Phantom" phrase from Tesla lectures.  I don't know if that term evolved over the years...?
 
Your example below is interesting, I don't know if its a Phantom exactly, but I am definately familiar with the phenomena and like the "stable" streamer name.  I have seen too on coils where the brush goes in all directions chaotically and then suddenly takes a slow discharge right to something off in the distance normally out of reach.  It seems to do it in a "careful" manner, slowly, as odd as that phrase sounds when talking about sparks! 
 
They are really fascinating to study, and confusing at the same time.  At times they appear very slow - in circuits with low current and high capacity -- I have seen them as you said appear to form in the matter of seconds...almost like fireworks.  The streams can dart out in a straight line, strobing quickly (but slower than a brush discharge), void of any branches or zigzags, and then "crackle" or "burst" at the very ends --- suddenly you'll get a plume (like a peacock feather) that bursts out in all directions, conical shape with the point at the end of the stream forming outward.  
(As strange as it sounds, they appear a lot like one of the common cat toys, a bunch of feathers on the end of a stick...same idea here, only electrically..., again I'm at a loss of words to describe them in a proper manner...)
 
They are similar to the effects from a Van de graaf but not exactly...this is what is really strange, they almost appear as a static discharge.  At first I thought with Pancakes it could have been an electrophorus effect from the wax and rosin, but now with cylindrical coils of large capacity I am seeing the same effects...?
 
The damn shame is that the "bursts" at the end of the streamers (which are really beautiful!) are the things I can't seem to capture with the camera.  Cip and I are going to have round two with the new camera to see what happens on different settings.  The streams show up well on direct contact with photographic paper and film, x-ray film, etc, but the whole 3-D effect is lost.
 
The ability to charge objects is really interesting.  You can hold a piece of wood in the streamers and once in a while get a nice shock from it.  You can also take metal spheres and mount them to dry wood and take sparks from the spheres when the wood only is in the path of the streams.  
 
Another strange bit is that approaching the streams with any object (grounded or of large capacity, points, planes, etc.) doesn't seem to change their direction or course.  
 
The main point about the photos I UL'ed is that they don't capture the main parts of the streamers.  Its only about 1/3 of them, and even still the photos only show a trace or blur of where they've been - not what they look like.  I would love to get pictures of the various forms exact - but its not easy.  They don't give off enough light to do a fast exposure, which is what needs to be done.  Maybe night vision or something?
 
The real interesting thing would be to photograph the forms and then vary the frequency so that the effects can be seen.  A small change of .001 mfd or so will change the bursts and appearance of the streams - the zig zag patterns change, how many braches at the tips, the thickness of the streams.  (I have seen them 1/8" thick on small coils and around 1" thick on large coils when produced perfectly...what is also stranger is that when well-produced the streams start thin at the topload and branch out thicker into the void around!  
 
Jeff> From: Gary.Lau@xxxxxx> To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx> Date: Thu, 22 May 2008 12:43:07 +0000> Subject: RE: [TCML] "Phantom Streamer" Photographs> CC: > > Hi Jeff,> > Foremost, I agree with Terry, in that what really counts is how pretty the picture is, and yours are very!> > I believe what you are seeing is what I had referred to as a stable streamer - see 3rd from last image on http://www.laushaus.com/tesla/minicoil.htm. I've only witnessed these on lower powered coils. Text from my web page:> "Above shows something that I rarely see on other coils. When there is a grounded target just out of striking distance, the usually chaotic streamer(s) will occasionally coalesce into a single, sinuous, un-branching, slowly writhing streamer, lasting 1-5 seconds at most. The sound generated is more stable and louder than normal as well. In the photo, there is a basement lally column 10" away from the toroid, and there will be a brief strike to it every 30 seconds or so."> > The fact that these stable streamers move more slowly than the normal chaotic streamers will naturally make them appear brighter and more evident in a photo.> > Regards, Gary Lau> MA, USA> > > -----Original Message-----> > From: tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tesla-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On> > Behalf Of piranha> > Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 2:42 AM> > To: Tesla Coil Mailing List> > Subject: Re: [TCML] "Phantom Streamer" Photographs> >> > Hi Jeff,> >> > Pretty normal...> >> > The long exposure time "smears" things a bit. The camera has some "hot> > pixels" (modern cameras "subtract" them, but they don't "linearly> > account" for them. So they show up under "brightness" where they> > disappear under "simple dark")... But the corona and leaders are very> > well known.> >> > The current in them is super dependent on space charge capacitance> > depending on the shape and size of the terminal and the voltage and> > frequency as well as the exact driving voltage waveform. Higher> > frequencies have higher currents in this case, and so it goes...> >> > The direction matters since a leader going right towards the camera lens> > will be much brighter. All the brightness at zero degrees rather than> > 90 degrees....> >> > Be a bit careful since digital cameras worked to the ends of their> > capabilities can do very odd "ghosting" things... They seems to be> > happily immune to local HV fields now days though :)> >> > What really counts, is how pretty of a picture you can get out of it all :D> >> > Terry> >> >> >> >> > and> > Jeff Behary wrote:> > > Hey All,> > >> > > A friend of mine Cip just got a digital camera much better than mine. He can> > attach lenses and do exposures more than 1 second. I told him of my ordeal with> > capturing "Phantom Streamers" in photos and he decided to give it a shot. The> > results are interesting...> > > http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2008/CipPhantom2/index.htm> > > The violet light surrounding the brush discharge indicates the roots or nearer> > portions of the Phantoms.> > > With 4 second exposures, they started to appear. Their constant movement and> > lack of light results in a consistent blur that in the photo extends , but this is all I> > can manage at the moment with the camera and the settings I'm familiar with.> > >> > > The "Phantom Streams" are strange faint discharges that extend perpendicular> > from the electrode/top load. They can change appearance by changing the> > frequency of the coil, becoming straight lines that strobe inward and outward, or> > take on the appearance of faint static electric discharges, plume-like or slightly> > branching. With low voltage tank circuits (~500V - 2kV) they seem to appear best> > when large caps are used (1/2 - 1 mfd) and intermittent spark gaps (opened to the> > point where they start to sputter or become irregular). With higher voltage tank> > circuits (10 - 30kV) they seem to appear best when very little current is used (30mA> > or less) and a spark gap rather close (set to fire at only a few thousand volts).> > >> > > In the case of a few of my Pancakes, I can get them to appear from 8 - 12" or> > more using a 9" flat spiral of magnet wire heavily insulated in wax. I've been able> > to also produce them in cylindrical Tesla Coils, normally those physically large> > compared to the tank circuit's capacity. In large coils they can appear an inch or> > more in diameter, for most 8 - 10" Pancakes they appear as luminous threads 1/16"> > - 1/8" in diameter or more.> > >> > > http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2008/CyclonePlus3/index.htm> > > To show some unusual proof of their existance, I grounded myself to one end of a> > series spark gap and approached the other end to the region of air containing the> > "Phantoms". The result was a consistent firing of the gap, the total section length> > going from 1 1/4" - 2" or more.> > > http://www.electrotherapymuseum.com/2008/CipPhantom/index.htm> > > In another batch of photos, they appear as a sort of halo around the brush> > discharge. The actual discharges are about twice the length of the halos that got> > captured. One photo, slightly blurry in appearance, is actually a 30 second> > exposure!> > >> > > Complete blueprints for a simple machine to make "Phantom Streamers" are> > currently being drawn.> > > Jeff Behary> > _______________________________________________> Tesla mailing list> Tesla@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> http://www.pupman.com/mailman/listinfo/tesla
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