Solid-core model of ball lightning

Abstract

Summary form only given. Ball lightning (BL) is assumed to have a solid, positively charged core at its center. The large amount of energy occasionally associated with BL is mainly due to the electrostatic (ES) energy of the charge on the core. The upper energy limit is determined by the size and strength of the core and this energy can be a few orders of magnitude greater than the energy which can be confined by atmospheric pressure alone. A pure electron layer and a plasma layer surround the core. An electromagnetic (EM) field is completely trapped by the electron and plasma layers. The electron temperature is sufficiently high that absorption of the EM field by electron-ion collisions is small, enabling the ball to have a lifetime of seconds or more. The ponderomotive force (radiation pressure) of the trapped EM field balances the ES force of attraction of the electrons toward the core plus the atmospheric force. In the solid charged-core model of BL, a small amount of energy is confined by the atmosphere but for energetic balls, nearly all of the energy is confined by the strength (molecular bonding energy) of the core. Consider a core with a positive electric charge distributed over its surface, as would be the case for a metallic or conductive core. The positive charge produces an outward repulsive electrostatic force over the surface tending to tear the core apart. The virial theorem applies to the core.