Apparently we've been missing out
in the big city because the real fun seems to be had on the farm where, if you're lucky, you can spy a hovering ball of
lightning during a thunderstorm chasing a cow or causing some such mayhem. It turns out this semi-freaky ball lighting
stuff is thought to be a result of a lightning strike which kicks up dirt when it hits the ground and then slowly burns
off the minerals as a slow moving fireball. Of course scientists can't leave well enough alone, so some researchers in
Israel have built their very own fireball machine using the magnetron from a domestic microwave. The device drills into
a solid, and when it pulls out it brings with it a 3-cm floating fireball that quivers like a jellyfish and floats in
the air, but only lasts a few milliseconds. The developers of the device are hoping they can use the lightning balls
for practical applications, but we're looking forward to a little bit of Mario-style Fire Flower firepower.
posted February 10th 2006 12:33PM
Just stick a wooden match in a lump of something non-metallic (lump of wax works) and put it on a glass dish in the microwave.
Light the match, close the door. Microwave for 5-10 seconds.
Brzzzp. Ball lightning that lasts for more than a few milliseconds, hell I've had it dance around in there for 2-3 seonds.
for more about microwave ball lightning, Google returned this as the first result.
http://www.apache.airnet.com.au/~fastinfo/microwave/ball.html
that is pretty cool.
that is pretty cool.
that is pretty cool.
"magnetron from a domestic microwave."
I tried yelling "Autobots! transform!" at my microwave but Nothing happened, whats up?
I've seen these in real life as a kid. I was bailing hay at the top of a field by a barn. It was a summer day with a storm a couple miles off. The next thing you know I was seeing flashs in the valley below me and sure enough-- balls of light ascending from the ground into the air. Amazing stuff.
"magnetron from a domestic microwave."
My first thought was "Sweet! We're on our way to being able to build a Gamalon Magnetron Wave satelite! Wheres my Wave Motion Engine and Gun!?"
Military Applications...
Is it just me or has engadget had some awsome futuristic-type posts lately? (multi-touch screen, 3-D holographic images, etc.)
Forget Mario fireballs, I would want to produce some Street Fighter quality type fireballs.
Is that Mr. Rogers in the photo? I thought he was dead.
Re: #7
Yes. I've been growing tired of seeing every new cell phone coming out of Korea. This is refreshing.
"I tried yelling "Autobots! transform!" at my microwave but Nothing happened, whats up?
"
Try "Deceptacons" next time. Should have better luck.
Autobots ROLLOUT!
I thought you may be interested in the new technology I high light to deal with this largest problem of them all, Climate Change, Energy and Space propulsion.
There are three companies pursuing hydrogen-boron plasma toroid fusion, a form of aneutronic fusion , Paul Koloc, Prometheus II, Eric Lerner, Focus Fusion and Clint Seward of Electron Power Systems http://www.electronpowersystems.com/ . A resent DOD review of EPS technology reads as follows:
"MIT considers these plasmas a revolutionary breakthrough, with Delphi's
chief scientist and senior manager for advanced technology both agreeing
that EST/SPT physics are repeatable and theoretically explainable. MIT and
EPS have jointly authored numerous professional papers describing their
work. (Delphi is a $33B company, the spun off Delco Division of General
Motors)."
It also provides a theoretic base for ball lighting : Ball Lightning Explained as a Stable Plasma Toroid http://www.electronpowersystems.com/Images/Ball%20Lightning%20Explained.pdf
The theoretics are all there in peer reviewed papers. It does sound to good to be true however with names like MIT, Delphi, STTR grants, NIST grants , etc., popping up all over, I have to keep investigating.
Vincent Page (a technology officer at GE!!) gave a presentation at the 05 6th symposium on current trends in international fusion research , which high lights the need to fully fund three different approaches to P-B11 fusion (Below Is an excerpt).
He quotes costs and time to development of P-B11 Fusion as tens of million $, and years verses the many decades and ten Billion plus $ projected for ITER and other "Big" science efforts:
"for larger plant sizes
Time to small-scale Cost to achieve net if the small-scale
Concept Description net energy production energy concept works:
Koloc Spherical Plasma: 10 years(time frame), $25 million (cost), 80%(chance of success)
Field Reversed Configuration: 8 years $75 million 60%
Plasma Focus: 6 years $18 million 80%
Desirable Fusion Reactor Qualities
Research & development is also needed in
the area of computing power.
Many fusion researchers of necessity still
use MHD theory to validate their designs.
MHD theory assumes perfect diamagnetism
and perfect conductance.
These qualities may not always exist in the
real world, particularly during continuous operation.
More computing power is needed to allow use of a more realistic validation theory
such as the Vlasov equations.
ORNL is in the process of adding some impressive computing power.
Researchers now need to develop more realistic validation methods up to the
limits of the available computing power.
Governments need to fund these efforts."
I feel in light of the recent findings of neutrons, x-rays, and gamma rays in lightening, that these threads need to be brought together in an article.
You may see my efforts with my "A New Manhattan Project for Clean Energy" article:
http://www.scienceforums.com/earth-science/3665-a-new-manhattan-project-clean-energy.html
which got published on Sci-Scoop and the Open Source Energy Network but rejected on Slashdot. The New Energy News will soon run an article on these companies efforts toward aneutronic fusion.
About a year ago, I came across EPS while researching nano-tech and efficient home design. I started a correspondence Clint Seward, Eric Learner, and Paul Kolac, sending them science news links which I felt were either supportive or contradictory to their work. I also asked them to critique each other's approaches. I have posted these emails to numerous physics and science forums. Discussion groups, science journalists, and other academics, trying to foster discussion, attention, and hopefully some concessus on the validity of these proposed technologies.
My efforts have born some fruit. Clint and Joe Dwyer at FIT have been in consultation on Clint's current charge transport theory for cloud to ground lightening.
I have had several replies from editors, producers, and journalists expressing interest. From organizations as varied as PBS, Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, New Energy News, the Guardian (U.K), and the San Francisco Chronicle. However, none of this professional interest has resulted in a story yet.
This post is a plea to the science writers among you to craft a story covering aneutronic fusion, the P-B11 efforts, Eric's high temperatures and x-ray source project, Clint's lightening theories, and DOD review, and Paul's review by GE. The minimal cost and time frame for even the possibility of this leap forward seems criminal not to pursue. If you read my Manhattan article, you may have noticed that I am not a writer. I am a landscape designer and technology gadfly wondering why this technology has never been put in the public eye.
My hope is that someone, more skilled, would step up to give a shout out about these technologies. Please contact me for copies of my correspondence with the principles, interesting replies and criticisms from physics discussion forums and academic physicists who have replied to my queries.
Thanks for any help
Erich J. Knight
shengar@aol.com